How to reduce pain in ankylosing spondylitis

  A group of rheumatic diseases with inflammation of the sacroiliac joints and spinal attachment points as the main symptom often cause spinal ankylosis and fibrosis, resulting in varying degrees of pain and limited movement of the spine. This disease is known as ankylosing spondylitis, which is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by fibrosis and ossification of the large joints of the extremities, as well as the intervertebral disc rings and nearby connective tissue, and joint ankylosis. In the early stages of ankylosing spondylitis, inflammatory pain occurs in the joints, accompanied by muscle spasms around the joints and a feeling of stiffness, which is apparent in the morning. It can also manifest as nocturnal pain, which can be relieved by activity or by taking painkillers. As the disease progresses, the joint pain decreases, while the spinal segments and joint movements are gradually restricted and deformities appear. In advanced stages, the entire spine becomes rigidly bowed and flexed forward.  The treatment of ankylosing spondylitis is to control inflammation, reduce or relieve symptoms, maintain normal posture and optimal functional position, and prevent deformity. Therefore, early diagnosis and early treatment with a combination of measures is needed.  First, appropriate activity and functional exercise is necessary, avoid maintaining a posture for a long time, and it is not advisable to reduce activity for fear of pain, which will accelerate the stiffness of the spine and also aggravate the pain. Second, physical therapy based on heat therapy, such as hot baths and warm baths, to increase local blood circulation, relax muscles, reduce pain, and help joints maintain normal function and prevent deformity. In addition to conventional drug treatment, radiofrequency minimally invasive release therapy in the early stage of soft tissue, small joints of the lumbar spine and around the sacroiliac joints can significantly improve patients’ pain symptoms and spinal function, while avoiding the side effects and immune destruction caused by the long-term application of large amounts of hormones and other drugs, thus delaying the progress of spinal ankylosis and reducing the incidence of spinal deformity, which is a minimally invasive treatment commonly used for ankylosing spondylitis It is a minimally invasive treatment method for ankylosing spondylitis.