Ankylosing spondylitis is suitable for what kind of exercise?

Written by Yang Ya Meng
Rheumatology
Updated on June 30, 2025
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Patients with ankylosing spondylitis during the quiescent phase of the disease, which is when the patients do not feel any pain, can consider appropriate functional exercises. These exercises can include forward bending, back extending, lateral bending to the left and right, and appropriate rotational movements of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Additionally, patients can choose activities like jogging or swimming to prevent spinal stiffness and premature fusion. However, patients with ankylosing spondylitis should avoid intense physical activities during the active phase of the disease, as this can potentially worsen joint damage in the spine.

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Written by Li Jing
Rheumatology
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Does ankylosing spondylitis cause buttock pain?

Ankylosing spondylitis may cause buttock pain. It primarily affects the axial joints, and can be accompanied by extrarticular manifestations. This condition leads to stiffening and deformity of the spine, and it cannot be cured, only managed with medication to slow the progression of the disease, delay joint deformity, improve quality of life, and reduce disability rates. Its clinical manifestations vary widely, and its onset is often insidious. Men are more commonly affected and tend to experience more severe symptoms. The most common symptoms include stiffness in the neck or pain in the lumbar and back areas. However, some people may experience pain in the lower back, accompanied by morning stiffness, or alternating pain in the buttocks, or radiating pain from the groin to the lower limbs. This pain is often worse at night or after prolonged sitting, but symptoms can lessen after activity.

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Written by Li Jing
Rheumatology
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Can ankylosing spondylitis cause red eyes?

Firstly, ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic autoimmune disease that primarily affects the axial joints. Its most common clinical manifestations are a stiffness in the neck or pain in the lumbar and back areas. This pain often occurs after sitting for a long time or at night, and symptoms are relieved after standing up and moving around; these are the main joint symptoms. In addition to these, there can also be extra-articular manifestations, with the most common being uveitis or iritis, which occur repeatedly. Some individuals may even develop corneal ulcers, also known in layman's terms as experiencing "red eye." These are extra-articular symptoms. Once recurrent uveitis or iritis occurs, aside from considering eye-related issues, systemic diseases must also be considered. Following the onset of this type of uveitis, the first choice of treatment is biologics.

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Written by Li Jing
Rheumatology
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Complications of ankylosing spondylitis

Firstly, ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic autoimmune disease that primarily damages the axial joints, and currently, there is no specific cure for it. This means that the disease cannot be completely cured but can only be managed with medications to alleviate symptoms, delay complications, improve quality of life, and reduce disability rates. If this disease is not treated properly, it can lead to joint deformities, muscle rigidity, and spinal stiffness. Once the spine becomes stiff, functional impairments occur, at which point the quality of life decreases, and surgery may need to be considered. If there is a subluxation of the joint, joint fusion surgery must be considered. Changes can also occur in the peripheral joints, in which case joint replacement might be considered.

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Written by Yang Ya Meng
Rheumatology
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Is ankylosing spondylitis serious?

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis, if treated actively in the early stages, the condition is not severe. However, if the patient continues to seek irregular and improper medical care, it is possible to develop severe complications such as kyphosis and spinal ankylosis. In severe cases, patients may even self-harm. Therefore, it is advised that patients with ankylosing spondylitis seek treatment early, before the onset of spinal ankylosis. The treatment plan mainly includes non-steroidal analgesics, such as diclofenac sodium sustained-release tablets, medications to control the condition, such as sulfasalazine tablets, and biologic treatments. With the above treatments, the condition of ankylosing spondylitis can be controlled. (Medication use should be under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Li Jing
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How is ankylosing spondylitis diagnosed?

Ankylosing spondylitis is an autoimmune disease that cannot be cured but can be managed primarily through medication. Its main typical symptoms include stiffness in the neck or pain in the lower back, with the pain becoming more apparent when at rest or after sitting for a long time. Symptoms tend to improve with movement. A typical occurrence is pain that awakens the patient at night. Peripheral joints like the knee joint and heel can also be affected. However, the main symptoms are stiffness in the neck and pain in the lower back. Diagnosing ankylosing spondylitis requires combining symptoms with a positive B27 blood test result, and imaging tests such as CT or MRI of the sacroiliac joints, showing signs of sacroiliitis, narrowing or damage in the sacroiliac joint space, to confirm the diagnosis.