Which department should I visit for ankylosing spondylitis?

Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of chronic inflammation. Patients often cannot walk normally when they suffer from this type of disease. Therefore, we must pay attention to this disease to avoid the deterioration of the disease. Generally, this type of disease is mainly caused by reasons such as spine and ossification. If this type of disease occurs, you must see a doctor in time. So, which department should you go to for ankylosing spondylitis?

Cervical Spondylology.

1. Clinical manifestations

The main symptoms are persistent low back pain and back stiffness. In the early stages, patients experience pain in the bilateral sacroiliac joints and lower back, radiating to the buttocks and thighs, and waist stiffness that prevents them from sitting for long periods of time. It worsens with activity and improves with rest. Sacroiliac joint and paraspinal muscle tenderness are early positive signs. Often suffer from pain in the waist at night. The spine is stiff when you wake up in the morning, which is slightly relieved after getting up and moving around. Late-stage spinal stiffness can cause flexion of the trunk and hip joints, and eventually lead to kyphosis. The typical posture is thoracic kyphosis, bony ankylosis and forward head.

II. Treatment

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the first choice for pain, which can quickly improve the patient's low back pain and stiffness, reduce joint swelling and pain, and improve joint mobility. Acupuncture treatment, stent use and traction, surgical treatment, etc. can also be used. No surgery is required for patients with ankylosing spondylitis in a functional position. A small number of patients with spinal stenosis can undergo spinal decompression surgery. Surgery can be performed to correct severe kyphosis. For deformed and ankylosed hip joints, proximal femoral osteotomy can also be performed.

Combining traditional Chinese and western medicine for optimal risk-benefit ratio

The goal of treatment for ankylosing spondylitis is to control disease activity, reduce or relieve symptoms, maintain normal joint function, and prevent deformities. Currently, there are three major categories of therapeutic drugs in Western medicine: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and biologics. The characteristics of Western medicine treatment are rapid onset of effect and obvious symptom improvement, especially the biological agents (tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists) used in clinical practice in the past decade, which have definite therapeutic effects. Traditional Chinese medicine advocates the combination of internal and external treatments based on syndrome differentiation. For example, patients with lumbar and back pain, stiffness and discomfort, pain in the knees and legs, soreness and weakness, fear of cold and love of warmth, and feel better when heated. Men have cold scrotums and women have cold and slippery leucorrhea. The tongue is dark red, the tongue coating is thin white or thick white, the pulse is deep and stringy or deep and stringy and thin. The syndrome belongs to kidney deficiency and Du channel cold. The treatment principle is to tonify the kidney and strengthen the Du channel, warm the meridians and dispel the cold.

Patients must go to a regular hospital and cooperate with the doctor for treatment. Not only treatment is required, but also a series of preventive work must be done to avoid the concentration of the disease. When you have free time, you can do aerobic exercises, such as deep breathing, or ride a bicycle, which are good for your body!