Ankylosing Spondylitis

What is the best cure for ankylosing spondylitis in Bangalore without surgery ?

Homeopathy has the best cure for ankylosing spondylitis in Bangalore without surgery.

What is the best cure for ankylosing spondylitis without surgery in Bangalore ?

Homeopathy has the best cure for ankylosing spondylitis without surgery in Bangalore.

What is the best cure for neck pain in Bangalore without surgery ?

Homeopathy has the best cure for neck pain in Bangalore without surgery.

What is the best cure for neck pain without surgery in Bangalore ?

Homeopathy has the best cure for neck pain without surgery in Bangalore.

What is the best ankylosing spondylitis treatment in Bangalore without surgery ?

Homeopathy has the best ankylosing spondylitis treatment in Bangalore without surgery.

What is the best ankylosing spondylitis treatment without surgery in Bangalore ?

Homeopathy has the best ankylosing spondylitis treatment without surgery in Bangalore.

What is the best neck pain treatment in Bangalore without surgery ?

Homeopathy has the best neck pain treatment in Bangalore without surgery.

What is the best neck pain treatment without surgery in Bangalore ?

Homeopathy has the best neck pain treatment without surgery in Bangalore.

What is the best cure for pain in joints in Bangalore without surgery ?

Homeopathy has the best cure for pain in joints in Bangalore without surgery.

What is the best cure for pain in joints without surgery in Bangalore ?

Homeopathy has the best cure for pain in joints without surgery in Bangalore.

What is the best pain in joints treatment without surgery in Bangalore ?

Homeopathy has the best pain in joints treatment without surgery in Bangalore.

What is the best pain in joints treatment in Bangalore without surgery ?

Homeopathy has the best pain in joints treatment in Bangalore without surgery.

Spondylitis - Ankylosing spondylitis

"Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)", is a kind of arthritis characterised by a chronic (i.e. for a long time) swelling of the joints of the spine. Usually, the sacro-iliac joint, that is, the joints which join the spine and pelvis is also affected. Sometimes, joints like the shoulder or hip joints are also affected. Rarely, the eye and bowels are also affected. The characteristic symptom of AS is a backache, although it may not be constant. As time passes, the stiffness of the affected joints usually gets worse. The word originates from the Greek words, "ankylos" meaning to unite or grow together, "spondylos" meaning vertebra and "itis" meaning inflammation.

Causes

The cause for ankylosing spondylitis is not known but it is supposed to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The specific human leukocyte antigen known as the HLA-B27 antigen is positive for most of these petients. It is believed to be an auto-immune or auto-inflammatory disorder.

Symptoms

The appearance of signs and symptoms in ankylosing spondylitis are gradual most of the time. It often occurs in between 20 and 30 years of age. It begins with a dull pain in the lower back or near the buttocks with stiffness of the lower back. The pain and stiffness may even wake up the patient early in the morning.

The spinal mobility is lost and the chest expands - bending forwards, backwards or side-ways becomes limited with time. Systemic features like weight loss, fever or getting tired easily are common. Pain which is intense at rest may get better with physical activity but the swelling and pain may recur in varying degrees regardless of rest and motion.

Ankylosing spondylitis can affect any part of the spine or the entire spine with pain often radiating to one buttock or the other or even the back of the thigh from the sacroiliac joint. Hip and shoulder pain and stiffness may also happen. When ankylosing spondylitis affects someone below age 18, it is pretty likely to bring about pain and swelling of the large lower limb joints like the knees. For children, pain and swelling may also affect the ankles and feet, usually causing heel pain and inflammation.

Roughly 30% of the ankylosing spondylitis patients will also develop eye pain, redness and blurred vision due to, "anterior uveitis" which may be due to the connection which both ankylosing spondylitis and uveitis share with the HLA-B27 antigen inheritance. Cardio-vascular involvement can include swelling of the aorta, insufficiency of the aortic valve or disturbances of the electrical conduction system of the heart. The lungs can also get affected leading to sarcoidosis and progressive fibrosis of the lungs' upper portion.

Diagnosis

Ankylosing spondylitis can be diagnosed by radiological changes in the sacroiliac joints and spine but there are currently no blood or imaging tests to correctly diagnose early forms of ankylosing spondylitis (non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis). Therefore, diagnosis of non-radiologic axial spondyloarthritis is not as easy and is based more on the signs and symptoms typical of the disease.

These diagnostic criteria comprise:

• Chronic, inflammatory backache:-
  This depends on:

• Onset before 40 years of age,
• slow onset,
• feeling better with exercise,
• not feeling better with rest and
• pain when in bed (but feeling better upon getting up)

• Past history of swelling in the heels, other joints or tendon-bone attachments
• Family history of axial spondylo-arthritis or other similar rheumatic/auto-immune conditions
• Positive HLA-B27 biomarker
• Feeling better with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Positive tests for inflammation (C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
• Symptoms of psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease or inflammation of the eye (uveitis)

If these criteria do not give a proper diagnosis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be helpful. MRI can show any inflammation of the sacroiliac joint.

X-rays:The earliest sign can be observed with an X–ray and can show erosions and sclerosis of sacroiliac joints. With time, the erosions lead to widening of the joint space and bony sclerosis. An X-ray of the spine can show squaring of vertebrae with bony spur (growth) formation called syndesmophyte. This leads to the, "bamboo spine appearance". However, for these changes, a lot of time should elapse to be seen on a plain film X-ray.

Optionally, earlier diagnosis is possible with Computerised tomography and MRI of the sacroiliac joints, but the trust-worthiness of these tests are still not clear.

Ankylosing spondylitis patients may show an elevation in the blood concentration of CRP and an elevation in the ESR, during acute inflammatory phases. However, there are many with ankylosing spondylitis whose CRP and ESR rates do not increase in this phase, so normal CRP and ESR results do not always correspond with the inflammation that is actually present. In other words, some ankylosing spondylitis patients have normal levels of CRP and ESR, despite having inflammation in their bodies.

People who test positive for the HLA-B27 biomarker are at a greater risk than others of developing ankylosing spondylitis but not everyone with a positive HLA-B27 and backache need to be patients of ankylosing spondylitis. However, more than 85% of people diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis are HLA-B27 positive.

The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), an index designed to detect the inflammatory burden of active disease helps to establish a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis when other factors like a positive HLA-B27, persistent buttock pain which resolves with exercise and X-ray or MRI showing involvement of the sacroiliac joints is present. It can be calculated easily.

The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), a functional index can accurately assess functional impairment due to the disease, as well as improvements following therapy although it is not usually used as a diagnostic tool. It is used as a tool to establish a baseline and compare subsequent response to therapy.

Ankylosing spondylitis affecting children is known as Juvenile ankylosing spondylitis (JAS)and is a rare form of the disease that differs from the more usual adult form. Large joints of the lower extremities are more usually affected than the characteristic early morning backache seen in adult ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing tarsitis of the ankle is a usual feature, as is the more common findings of a negative ANA and RF in the serum, apart from a positive HLA-B27 allele. Affection of the appendicular joints can lead to a delay in diagnosis. However, other common symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis like uveitis, diarrhoea, sarcoidosis or fibrosis of the lungs and heart valve disorders can help in the diagnosis.

Treatment

The pain and other symptoms can be managed

Homeopathy- The normal treatment is limited to pain-killers which have only a temporary effect. Homeopathic medicines on the other hand, are very effective in pain management. The other symptoms such as swelling (inflammation), fibrosis and so on also can be managed. The severity and frequency of the symptoms can be reduced and the pain, swelling and other symptoms made to disappear.