Where does ankylosing spondylitis hurt and what are the symptoms

Ankylosing spondylitis is a common type of spondylitis that can cause obvious harm to the patient's spinal health. Generally speaking, ankylosing spondylitis causes significant pain in the back and chest, and the movement of the head up and down is restricted.

1. Characteristics of thoracic spine lesions: back pain, pain in the anterior chest and rib cage, limited chest expansion, abdominal breathing and respiratory difference less than 2.5 cm, and lung function may show restrictive ventilation disorder. In the late stage, the thoracic spine may flex forward and become a hunchback deformity.

2. Characteristics of lumbar spine disease: low back pain, limited flexion, back extension, side bending and rotation of the waist, significantly increased distance of both hands touching the ground, in the late stage of disease, the normal physiological curvature of the lumbar spine disappears and becomes flat, and due to spasm of the paraspinal muscles, there are strip-like bulges on both sides of the median depression of the lumbar spine, which are stiff to the touch, and lumbar muscle atrophy may also occur.

3. Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis affecting the thoracic spine include back pain, pain in the front chest and flanks, limited chest expansion, breathing pain, shortness of breath, and kyphosis. When the disease affects the cervical spine, symptoms include pain in the cervical spine, upper limbs, and head, stiff neck, limited up and down, left and right rotation, inability to turn back, inability to look straight ahead, and a turtle neck deformity. The disease gradually develops to the late stage, at which time all the joints of the spine have become ankylosed and fixed, the pain has been significantly relieved, and X-rays show that the spine has bamboo-like changes, movement is difficult, and the joints are stiff, making the patients miserable.

4. Characteristics of cervical spondylosis: Cervical pain that may radiate to the back of the head and upper limbs, neck stiffness and limited movement, limited functions of lowering and raising the head and turning the head. When turning the head back, the body must be turned together. This is caused by neck stiffness. Examination may reveal that the mandibular distance of the patient is enlarged. Severe ankylosing spondylitis may also cause severe flexion deformity of the head and back. The patient cannot look straight ahead and can only see the soles of his feet.