If you’ve been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a chronic inflammatory form of arthritis, it’s totally normal to head straight for the internet to research ways to manage the condition. Because the more you take control of your treatment plan, the more likely you are to get your symptoms under control. While medications are the most effective AS treatment, you’ll likely hear about other avenues for symptom relief, too: Enter complementary therapies. We spoke to the experts to get the facts about these options and things to keep in mind.
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What Are Complementary Therapies?
Complementary therapies are practices used together with conventional medicine, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH). You might also hear the term “alternative” therapy, which means it’s used
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a form of inflammatory arthritis, can wreak havoc on your body and particularly your back, since the spine is the main area the inflammation affects. One common way to deal with back pain is to go to the chiropractor. So it makes sense that if you have AS, you may be curious about chiropractic care as a way to help manage your condition. But before you make that appointment, here are some things you need to know.
What Is Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care is a type of medical practice involving manual therapy and spinal manipulation, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A chiropractor is trained to use methods like stretching and pressure with the goal of improving function and mobility of your spinal joints.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a chronic inflammatory form of arthritis, can make tasks you do without thinking feel like major obstacles that increase your joint pain and that includes maneuvering around your own home, whether you’re trying to make breakfast or simply use the bathroom. To help with these challenges, we spoke to the experts to learn seven must-try hacks for modifying your living space to make life with AS easier.
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Why AS Can Make Navigating Your Home a Challenge
Chronic AS pain can lead to decreased mobility and range of motion, says Nikki Weiner, O.T.D., a licensed occupational therapist and certified ergonomic specialist in Pittsburgh, PA. This can lead to struggles around the home. “Certain daily activities tend to aggravate the body with AS,” adds Terence Starz, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine and occupational therapy in the division of rheumatology and clinical immunology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Assistive devices a
When you’re living with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a chronic inflammatory form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, sitting at a desk all day can make symptoms like joint pain worse and therefore make it hard to do your job. In fact, according to a recent study presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Meeting, nearly three-fourths of people with AS have difficulty standing or sitting for long hours at work, and nearly half miss work due to their condition.
“Chronic pain is exacerbated by working in sedentary postures or awkward postures, or doing work activities that are highly repetitive,” explains Nikki Weiner, O.T.D., a licensed occupational therapist and certified ergonomic specialist in Pittsburgh, PA. If your work requires fixed postures and the same movements over and over (hello, typing), it may worsen your AS symptoms. Plus, she says, computer workstations aren’t naturally set up in the bes
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine, is a chronic condition that can’t be cured but it
can be managed, says Terence Starz, M.D., clinical professor of medicine and occupational therapy in the division of rheumatology and clinical immunology at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA. So, don’t settle for just surviving, he urges not when thriving is in within reach.
Still, it can be hard to know where to start when you’re first faced with such an overwhelming diagnosis, even as you’re trying to manage chronic pain and other challenging symptoms. Here, Dr. Starz offers his top five tips for how to stay strong and take control of your AS: