Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory condition, also known as axial spondyloarthritis, that primarily affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. The disease can cause long-term inflammation of the spine hip joint (sacroiliac joint), leading to persistent back pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility. Over time, ankylosing spondylitis may result in the formation of bony bridges between vertebrae, causing partial or complete fusion of the spine. In advanced stages, the condition can also affect the chest bones, limiting chest expansion and breathing.

At SP Medifort Hospital, a trusted spine arthritis treatment center, patients receive advanced ankylosing spondylitis care from experienced rheumatology and spine specialists. Through early diagnosis, personalized treatment plans, and long-term management strategies, the hospital is recognized for providing the best ankylosing spondylitis treatment in South India. Our multidisciplinary approach focuses on pain control, improving spinal flexibility, preventing disease progression, and enhancing overall quality of life.

Ankylosing spondylitis is classified based on how the disease presents itself and what areas of the body are involved:

• Axial Spondyloarthritis (AxSpA): Axial Spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) is a chronic inflammatory condition that mainly causes persistent back pain and stiffness by affecting the spine and the joints where your lower spine meets your pelvis. The pain often starts gradually before age 45, feels worse after resting, and usually improves with movement, which is different from ordinary back strain. AxSpA is an umbrella term—one form shows changes on X-rays (called ankylosing spondylitis), and another form may only show inflammation on MRI or be based on symptoms. Besides back issues, some people also experience symptoms in other joints, fatigue, or inflammation in places like the eyes or gut. There’s no cure yet, but with the right medical care, physical therapy, and lifestyle habits, many people can manage pain and stay active.
• Peripheral Spondyloarthritis (pSpA): Peripheral Spondyloarthritis (pSpA) is a form of inflammatory arthritis that mainly affects the joints and tendon attachment points outside the spine, causing pain, swelling, stiffness, and tenderness in places like the knees, wrists, ankles, or fingers and toes. It’s part of the broader spondyloarthritis family and includes conditions such as psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and enteropathic arthritis, where inflammation of joints (arthritis), tendon attachments (enthesitis), or entire digits (dactylitis) is a common feature.
• Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis (JAS): Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis (JAS) is a rare childhood form of arthritis that causes inflammation and stiffness in the spine and where tendons and ligaments attach to bones, leading to pain, morning stiffness, and discomfort that often feels better with activity than rest. It usually starts in the teen years, tends to run in families, and is linked to a gene called HLA-B27, though having the gene doesn’t guarantee someone will get the disease.

AS can be treated in a variety of ways, including medication and lifestyle modifications.The main treatments for ankylosing spondylitis include:

Medicines: For most people with ankylosing spondylitis, doctors start with nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) because they gently calm inflammation and ease pain and stiffness, making it easier to move comfortably. If those medicines aren’t enough to control symptoms, your doctor may recommend biologic medications, which are more advanced drugs that specifically target parts of the immune system that cause inflammation, so you feel better and slow the disease’s activity; these are usually given by injection or infusion and can make a big difference when inflammation is harder to manage with NSAIDs alone.

Physical Therapy: Physical therapy is an important part of managing ankylosing spondylitis because a trained therapist can guide you through gentle, targeted exercises that help keep your spine and joints flexible, improve your posture, and reduce pain and stiffness.

Exercise: Staying active is one of the things you can do to lessen your symptoms. The less you sit or lie down, the better you’ll feel. Exercise helps you stand straighter and keeps your spine limber. Staying active can also ease pain.