Is physical therapy a viable option for managing ankylosing spondylitis?
People living with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) can benefit from a tailored exercise program designed to improve their spinal mobility, posture, and overall wellbeing. Physical therapists often recommend exercises that focus on these areas, with the goal of reducing pain, improving function, and slowing the progression of the condition.
Daily Spinal Mobility Exercises
Daily spinal mobility exercises are crucial for maintaining or improving spinal flexibility and reducing stiffness. These exercises often involve gentle spinal stretches and extension movements, helping to keep the spine flexible and mobile.
Light Aerobic Activities
Light aerobic exercises, such as walking, swimming, and cycling, performed for around 20 minutes daily or several times per week, can significantly improve a person's overall cardiovascular and mental health. Swimming, in particular, is beneficial because it is low-impact and promotes flexibility and overall fitness without stressing the joints.
Postural Education and Strengthening Exercises
Postural education and strengthening exercises are designed to improve trunk stability and core muscle recruitment, often impaired in AS patients. These exercises help retrain muscular recruitment and correct poor posture developed from the disease.
Stretching Routines
Regular stretching routines, including spine and lower back stretches, can help build flexibility and reduce pain and stiffness throughout the day.
Integrative Exercise Modalities
Activities like yoga, Pilates, and tai chi are also recommended because they combine gentle stretching, breathing exercises, and postural control, which may improve movement and ease symptoms.
Breathing Exercises and Techniques
Physical therapists may also teach breathing exercises and techniques to improve postural stabilization.
A typical program recommended by physical therapists might be supervised and include a few sessions per week over several months to ensure proper technique and progression, combined with daily self-managed exercises at home for consistent symptom relief and improved function.
Before starting any new exercise regimen, it is advisable to consult with a physical therapist or healthcare provider to tailor the exercises safely and effectively to the individual’s condition and functional level.
In some cases, surgery may be necessary if a person's daily life is severely affected, and other treatments have been unsuccessful. However, surgery is not a first-line treatment for AS, and a doctor may only recommend it in such cases. Following a surgical procedure, a person's doctor will likely recommend physical therapy to help them fully and safely recover.
The exact cause of AS is still not known, but a combination of genetic and environmental factors may play a role in its development. A person can discuss their exercise interests with a physical therapist and work with them to determine the best group classes for their needs.
Regular exercise can help prevent AS from worsening, with the goals of nearly every treatment option being to slow or stop progression of the condition and improve symptoms and quality of life. Individual activities can include cycling, practicing tai chi, using an elliptical machine, walking, swimming, practicing yoga, among others.
It is essential to check with your insurance provider to determine what costs are associated with physical therapy.
[1] Ankylosing Spondylitis: Exercise and Physical Therapy. (2021). National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. [Online] Available at: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/ankylosing-spondylitis/anatomy-and-causes/exercise-and-physical-therapy
[2] Ankylosing Spondylitis: MedlinePlus. (2021). U.S. National Library of Medicine. [Online] Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000434.htm
[3] Ankylosing Spondylitis: Exercise. (2021). Mayo Clinic. [Online] Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376435
[4] Ankylosing Spondylitis: Exercise. (2021). Arthritis Foundation. [Online] Available at: https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/disease-management/conditions-treatments/ankylosing-spondylitis/exercise
[5] Ankylosing Spondylitis: Exercise and Physical Therapy. (2021). Johns Hopkins Medicine. [Online] Available at: https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-info/disease-specific-guide/ankylosing-spondylitis/exercise-and-physical-therapy/
- Physical therapists often establish exercises that focus on improving spinal mobility, posture, and overall wellbeing for entities living with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).
- Daily spinal mobility exercises, like gentle spinal stretches and extension movements, are crucial for treating AS, as they help establish and maintain spinal flexibility, while reducing stiffness.
- Light aerobic activities, such as walking, swimming, and cycling, sought by seekers of health-and-wellness, can significantly improve a person's overall cardiovascular and mental health, contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases like chronic-kidney-disease.
- Postural education and strengthening exercises, like Pilates and tai chi, are designed to treaters of AS to improve trunk stability, core muscle recruitment, and correct poor posture developed from the disease.
- Regular stretching routines, including spine and lower back stretches, can help build flexibility and reduce pain and stiffness throughout the day, improving the quality of life for AS patients.
- Integrative exercise modality, such as yoga, Pilates, and tai chi, are recommended therapies-and-treatments because they combine gentle stretching, breathing exercises, and postural control, which may improve movement and ease symptoms for AS patients.
- Breathing exercises and techniques taught by physical therapists can improve postural stabilization, contributing to overall fitness, mental-health, and chronic-diseases management.
- In some cases, chronic-diseases like AS may require surgery, following which, medical-condition-management would involve physical therapy to help entities fully and safely recover, focusing on fitness-and-exercise routines and nutrition, including CBD oil for pain management.
- It's essential for persons to consult with a physical therapist or healthcare provider before starting any new exercise regimen, tailoring the exercises safely and effectively to the individual’s condition, fitness level, and personal interests, such as cycling, tai chi, swimming, or yoga, and understanding the costs associated with these therapies-and-treatments via insurance providers.
