The most common thing we hear about ankylosing spondylitis is that it is a disease with heavy symptoms, difficult to treat, and can gradually lead to joint deformity, loss of function, and even disability, and is known as the “cancer that never dies. However, more and more celebrities with ankylosing spondylitis have recently become active on the screen, such as Shaun Tsai, who participated in a reality show with her husband, and Jay Chou, who married his wife and had a son and toured the world to perform on “The Voice” – known as the “winners of life” who are on top of their lives. The work and life of these people are almost the same as normal people, as if they are not affected. Why do they look so healthy when they have ankylosing spondylitis? This seems to be a very different concept, but reading this article may help you understand why they can be “winners in life” even under the weight of the disease. I. Ankylosing spondylitis = “undead cancer”? When it comes to ankylosing spondylitis, many people are afraid to talk about it. The reason for this is that the cause and symptoms of the disease are different from each other. It is understood that this disease belongs to the category of autoimmune diseases, the course of the disease is long, the cause is still unclear. The spine is the main lesion site, first involving the sacroiliac joint, and then gradually progressing upward, resulting in aseptic inflammation of the bone and peri-articular tissues, including the sacroiliac joint, and finally developing into total spinal fibrosis and bony ankylosis, and also causing different degrees of eye, lung, muscle and bone lesions. It has been named as “undead cancer” because of its late onset and difficult treatment. So, is it really that scary? Fear point 1: “Ambush” and “latent” Xiao Chen, who just worked, is 24 years old. As a sedentary person, he often feels discomfort in his back recently, and going to massage does not help. In the midst of winter, when he woke up in the morning, he felt stiff, but the stiffness was reduced by the activity, and he thought the weather was too cold to “freeze”, so he didn’t care. As the disease continued, Chen’s discomfort intensified, but only when he went to the hospital to know: he had ankylosing spondylitis. It is true that Xiao Chen’s case is not a special case. Unlike other bone diseases in the middle-aged and elderly, ankylosing spondylitis especially likes to “ambush” young people, mostly in young and middle-aged men in their 20s and 30s, and the early symptoms are easy to relieve, with “latent “The early symptoms of sacroiliac arthritis are often overlooked, as young people are often unaware of the muscle pain caused by exertion. Some sources say that ankylosing spondylitis has an average delay of six years from the first symptoms to diagnosis, and more than 50% of patients are diagnosed at an intermediate or late stage. Fear Point 2: Double torture for the body and mind As the disease progresses, the pain gradually extends to the chest and neck. In normal people, you can see the rise and fall of the chest when you breathe, but if the disease invades the chest, the breathing movement will be limited, and the same young people can blow 4,000 to 5,000 spirometry, while you can only blow 2,000 to 3,000. The discomfort will also become more and more unbearable. Intermittent pain on one side can develop into prolonged pain on both sides, with some patients waking up in pain at night. The most serious consequence is the impact on the spine. If the condition is not controlled in time, the normal movement of the spine will be gradually lost. In order to relieve pain, some patients often bend their backs and hips, and the whole person is bent at right angles and cannot look ahead, as shown in the figure below: In addition, patients not only have to endure physical pain, but also have to face the end of the gradual loss of social functions and the ability to take care of themselves, it is difficult for young patients to accept this gap, suffering from psychological suffering, depression and anxiety is often difficult to avoid. So, is there really nothing you can do about ankylosing spondylitis? However, patients with ankylosing spondylitis, such as Jay Chou and Shaun Tsai, are living a good life, which undoubtedly brings an answer to the “two weapons” against ankylosing spondylitis: early detection and proper treatment. The “two weapons” against ankylosing spondylitis The same ankylosing spondylitis patients, why Jay Chou was able to maintain the perfect body in “Rooftop Love”? There is no doubt that early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment have a lot to do with it. However, it should be noted that the recovery journey of ankylosing spondylitis is closely related to the patients themselves, from early diagnosis (patient vigilance, compliance) to comprehensive treatment (patients reasonable exercise, standardized medication, maintaining good rest and dietary habits, etc.) are inseparable from the full participation of patients, it can be said that, to some extent, the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, the patient’s persistence is more important than the treatment of doctors. 1, early diagnosis, continuous attention does not give up When it comes to diagnosis, you should not think that it is all the responsibility of the doctor, the “early” here emphasizes the vigilance of the patient himself. Young people with unexplained low back pain, morning stiffness or limited lumbar spine or thoracic movement, and similar conditions in their loved ones, should pay attention and actively seek medical attention. If treatment is started when only mild arthritis is detected on imaging, joint deformity and loss of function can be delayed or even avoided. In some patients, there are no obvious lesions on imaging, but symptoms and signs of sacroiliac arthritis are present. Although the disease is not diagnosed for the time being, it should not be taken lightly, and patients should be reviewed regularly to monitor the development of the disease and cooperate with their physicians in follow-up. The outcome of ankylosing spondylitis has a considerable relationship with the degree of attention paid by the patient himself. Persistent attention can delay the arrival of severe deformities and functional deficits, and in some cases can even be spared. This is the same as taking antihypertensive drugs to prevent cardiovascular disease, quit smoking to prevent lung cancer, long-term adherence to comprehensive treatment to ultimately benefit. For early stage patients, correcting wrong posture and physical exercise are important parts of the comprehensive treatment. Many people usually have the habit of lowering their heads and holding their chests and hunching their waists. These postures will cause improper force on joints and accelerate the deterioration of the disease. Patients should always think of themselves as a soldier, walk with their heads up and chest out, sit upright and straight, while insisting on sleeping in a hard bed with a short pillow, lying on their backs as much as possible, and stopping the use of pillows if the thoracic or cervical spine is involved. Physical activities that may aggravate the condition are not done as much as possible, such as fixing a posture for a long time, lifting heavy objects, etc. Third, in daily life patients can carry out the following simple exercises: 1, deep breathing and chest expansion, can slow down the decline in lung capacity, deep breathing adhere to the daily practice 2-3 times, each repetition of about 20 times. Chest expansion about 10-20 times each time. 2, stand against the wall, so that the head, back, buttocks, heel are against the wall, maintain more than half an hour, can maintain the correct posture of the spine. 3 local functional exercise, this is for the restricted movement of the joint, mainly flexion and extension exercises, such as hip dysfunction patients can do more to put on and take off shoes, socks, pants and get up, squatting and other self-care ability training. 4 in the pain is too severe to carry out regular exercise, can help passive movement of the joint. When not doing exercise, the joint with acute symptoms should be placed in a functional position. Patients can participate in appropriate low-intensity aerobic activities such as swimming, yoga, and tai chi. Swimming is a good whole-body exercise, including both limb movement and chest expansion, and is also good for maintaining the normal physiological curvature of the spine. However, some sports that have an impact on the joints, such as basketball games, running, etc., patients are best not to participate. Patients who are in a position to do so can also consult a professional rehabilitation therapist to develop an individualized exercise program and perform regular, standardized pulling exercises to train muscle strength and posture. This can be very helpful for patients to recover their daily living ability. Posture correction and exercise therapy are important to adhere to, one cannot fish for three days, and the other should be gradual and measured, not to be rushed. When the pain is slightly relieved, the amount of exercise to recover from fatigue after exercise within 2 hours as the standard, the difficulty of the action should be from easy to difficult. Standardized drug therapy is crucial to relieve symptoms, control inflammation and delay the disease Although exercise is the cornerstone of comprehensive treatment, but I must emphasize that exercise alone can not delay the development of the disease, standardized drug therapy is essential. The current treatment drugs are mainly NSAIDs, biologics and drugs such as lorazepam and thalidomide. The medication is as important as exercise, and adherence to the physician’s instructions can effectively control the inflammatory response and reduce pain. If the disease has progressed to the point of ankylosis and deformity, surgical procedures can be performed to improve the quality of life and restore some of the working ability. The most common type of surgery is artificial hip replacement, and severe spinal deformities can be improved through surgery. Fourth, maintain a good state of mind, a healthy life from now on Many patients have to work and study as soon as they are nervous, so pay attention to rest and maintain a good state of mind. You must strictly quit smoking. In addition to eating high protein, high vitamin, calcium and iron rich easily digestible food, patients should develop recipes with personal characteristics according to their medication and underlying disease. For example, patients who take NSAIDs for a long time should pay attention to protecting their stomach by not eating foods that can stimulate gastric acid secretion such as leeks and groundnuts, and by eating less spicy, fried and stimulating foods. Patients with secondary osteoporosis should also take appropriate calcium and vitamin D supplements and engage in regular outdoor activities. Patients should have a hygienic and regular diet. Overeating and unclean diet will increase the chance of intestinal diseases, increase the probability of morbidity and aggravate the disease. In summary, although the cause of ankylosing spondylitis is unknown, there is no cure, but the above comprehensive treatment can delay the emergence of a serious outcome. Therefore, please do not give up on yourself, from now on adhere to exercise, and actively cooperate with treatment, maybe not like Jay Chou to have an enviable body, but at least will not affect life and work. From now on, seize the chance of fate and early intervention, maybe you can be a winner in life like Jay.