Axial spondylitis, Bechter's disease, ankylosing spondylitis / spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis - All these are the names of chronic inflammatory disease that slowly and steadily leads to disability if left untreated. In our clinic "Health Practice" this disease is successfully treated, and with the use of modern methods of treatment, ahead of you awaits the life of a healthy person.
It is important to "catch" the initial symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis:
Constant, intense morning pain and tightness mainly in the lower back and thighs, buttocks, shoulder joints. Sometimes the pain can begin with the cervical and thoracic spine, in the joints between the ribs and the spine. In addition, the disease can begin with inflammation of the peripheral joints: knee, elbow, g / foot, heel pain and Achilles tendon, especially at the beginning of the disease. Symptoms of inflammation of the eyes may occur, which may also be the first signs of the disease.
Diagnosis of Bechter's disease (ankylosing spondylitis) can be delayed if the symptoms are insignificant, or you mistakenly attribute them to osteochondrosis, disc carcinoma, etc. Therefore, it is very important to consult a rheumatologist for pain and stiffness in the spine and / or joints.
Late manifestations of ankylosing spondylitis: The spine looks like a bamboo stick; forward, backward and lateral movements are sharply restricted; it is difficult for a person to breathe, to perform elementary exercises (to get a thing from the top shelf, to get up from a chair or a bed, to climb the stairs, etc.;
Who is most at risk for ankylosing spondylitis?
• Age . More often the disease occurs in adolescence and up to 40 years.
• Heredity . Genetic predisposition plays a role in the appearance of ankylosing spondylitis.
Most people with ankylosing or psoriatic spondyloarthritis are carriers of the HLA-B27 gene, if a person has passed the HLA-B27 gene to their child, the likelihood that the child will have ankylosing spondylitis is one to five.
Treatment of ankylosing / psoriatic spondylitis.The purpose of treatment is to reduce the intensity of pain and stiffness, and to prevent or slow the onset of complications and deformity of the spine. The treatment of Bechter's disease is most successful when there are no irreversible changes in the joints and spine - it is an ankylosis, especially in a position that significantly restricts movement. We approach the treatment of ASA in the clinic "Health Practice" comprehensively. Together with anti-inflammatory drugs and agents that affect the immune system, including biologicals, we make extensive use of physiotherapy treatment of ankylosing spondylitis with compulsory training in therapeutic gymnastics. Physiotherapy and exercise therapy are included in the recommendations of the European Association of Rheumatologists, as well as in the domestic recommendations for the treatment of this disease.
What physiotherapy in the treatment of ASA is used by us
Massage needed to relax tense muscles, improve blood flow and metabolism in individual segments of limbs and trunk, restore reduced muscle contraction speed, along with other methods of massage needed to restore spinal volume and joints.
Therapeutic gymnastics. The complex includes breathing exercises that increase the volume of movement in the chest, bring to normal the lungs. It also includes exercises that improve coordination and balance, as coordination and balance also suffer from the disease. Special exercises help to make substitute movements during the course, for example, with already formed ankylosis of the hip joints, the step is due to the rotation of the torso, pelvis, maxillary movements of the hands, etc. Exercises increase the volume of movement, increase the flexibility of the spine and joints in pathologically altered segments and prevent the formation of ankylosis. We train patients at the clinic and motivate them to continue practicing gymnastics outside the clinic.
Electrotherapy is a modern method of treatment of ASA using more than 25 types of pulse and alternating currents generated by the new BTL-4000, each of which has an individual effect, but in general they enhance motor nerve conduction in the muscles of the affected segments, inhibition of sensitive pain receptors that provide an analgesic effect. There are modes that relax the muscles, reduce swelling around the nerve endings, reduce acute and chronic pain, inflammation in the tissues. Reduction of inflammation makes it possible to reduce the dose or to cancel anti-inflammatory drugs, ie to achieve disease remission. Electrotherapy also increases the flexibility of the joints and spine and provides normal function in the future.
Microwave therapy works by affecting the waves of the millimeter range, while in the treatment of ASA, the effect is directed to the body's immune system. Effects are also modulated depending on the area of exposure, wave frequency and exposure time. Depending on this, analgesic, antispasmodic, trophic or stimulating effects predominate, and the main thing is prevention of exacerbations.
Collaboration with a physician is the basis for the treatment of spondylitis. A patient with ASA should always see a rheumatologist who knows the patient and will always be able to provide qualified care. The patient, in turn, should monitor his state of health, periodically undergo self-assessment of functional status. Try to have regular check-ups when you visit your doctor, prepare questions and wishes in advance. You can discuss with your doctor any questions about treatment changes and lifestyles. Also discuss other issues related to the disease.
If you have ankylosing or psoriatic spondyloarthritis or are experiencing pain and stiffness in the spine and / or joints and have not yet found your doctor, contact us at Health Practice,
Khmelnitsky city, ul. Kamenets, 63
Phones for recording +38 (063) 631-50-35; +38 (098) 997-17-09; +38 (0382) 65-80-21