Ankylosing Spondylitis

What is it?

Points To Remember About Ankylosing Spondylitis

• Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is arthritis that affects the spine.
• AS often involves redness, heat, swelling, and pain in the spine or where the bottom of the spine joins the pelvic bone.
• AS may also affect the shoulders, ribs, hips, knees, feet, eyes, and bowel.
• Treatments for AS typically include medicines, exercise, and proper diet. Surgery may be recommended in some cases.
• See your doctor often and follow the treatment plan your doctor gave you.

Side and back views of the spine

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis that affects the spine. AS often involves redness, heat, swelling, and pain in the spine or in the joint where the bottom of the spine (sacrum) joins the pelvic bone (ilium).

In some people, AS can also affect the shoulders, ribs, hips, knees, and feet. It can also affect areas where the tendons and ligaments attach to the bones. Sometimes it can affect the eyes, bowel, and very rarely, the heart and lungs.

Many people with AS have mild back pain that comes and goes. Others have severe pain that doesn’t go away. Sometimes the spine becomes stiff. In the worst cases, the swelling can cause two or more bones of the spine to fuse. This may stiffen the rib cage, making it hard to take a deep breath.