#154 Why ankylosing spondylitis remains undetected by doctors, and how to treat it.

Suffering with this since 36. Finally diagnosed at 53. Thank you Doctor! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

I have AS as well as rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. This video is so spot on. I'm always looking for ways to educate myself, so I'm able to communicate more clearly to my Dr on what I'm experiencing that month. At this point it's all I can do. Good luck to those who have it as well. May you find some relief today. ❤

Thank you for your channel. I just got diagnosed in 2021. I've dealing with symptoms since i was a kid. I got diagnosed at 52 years old and misdiagnosed at age 28 with fibromyalgia.

I have been waiting 8 years for a confirmed diagnosis. Have been told it'd nerve/disc as often as I've been told it's ankylosing spondylitis. It impacts the days I work/work I can do, which results in workplace treating me like a liar - because it's invisible pain. It is frustrating not knowing for sure.

I got a very fast diagnosis, 1 month from seeing a doctor and the initial blood tests, to full amount of tests and consultant diagnosis.

Currently 37 years old. Diagnosed at age 34. Symptoms started as early as 14 years old. Disease went untreated and undiagnosed for nearly 2 decades. This resulted in a slow but gradual fusion of my entire spine, SI joints and neck. Has begun to creep into ribs more recently. No longer can move my head as it’s in a fixed downward angle and protrudes a solid 4-6 inches past my centerline if looking at my profile from side. This leaves me staring at the ground and an off centered posture. This leads to a cascade of problems all the way down to my ankles and toes due to weight imbalance of head over shoulders which domino effects the rest of my thoracic and lower back into my hips. Have been working physical labor jobs and struggling with a drug addiction since around the age of 16-17 years old. Didn’t realize I was self medicating my undiagnosed disease for the longest time. So of course addiction has been a journey through hell all on its own let alone having this curse of a disease. I have experienced withdrawal countless times before getting proper treatment and God only knows how that accelerated my disease as well. Doing a fair bit better now but everyday is still chronic pain. Some days worse than others. Always the worst in mornings when first waking and towards end of day or after any moderate amount of physical exertion to attempt to stand as straight as I can, particularly in public as I don’t think I’ll ever accept how I’ve come to look at the age of 37. More OK with and have accepted this is my life now and that my once not disabled, healthy body was a thing of the past. In the end it is what it is. It’s finding the strength to persevere everyday after being worn down minute after minute, day after day by chronic pain that is the struggle. Movement is key. It’s gonna hurt and a lot at first but it does get easier once you get out of that stiff, rigid bodied state. Light general stretching based on your limitations. Progress was slow and very gradual but once I loosened up the relief was incredible. Stretching must be maintained every day. Don’t over do but progress can easily be lost if not disciplined about frequency of daily stretching and overall movement/activity.

Excellent video. I have ankylosing spondylitis, been diagnosed since 2017. It's painful, but there are some great exercises & stretches to help.

I'm calling it, you're the best medical channel on yt.

I can't GET a diagnosis. So I will diagnose myself and demand the doctor prove that I don't have it.

Thank you Dr. Excellent explantion of AS. I am 57 male and my sacrillac joints are fused and whole spine is fused along with shoulder replacements. I currently take Zeljanz it helps. Thank you again Dr.

Hmmm didn’t know about AS and that it’s an autoimmune disease, but only spondylitis. Will definitely ask the Rheumatologist and Neurosurgeon about it during my next appointments. Thank you Dr Andrea!

Thx for sharing this. So educational and valuable for ourselves but also for our relatives. You don’t speak (if I’m not mistaken) about the correlations between inflammation and the weather ( pressure, rain, etc). Any chance of a video about that? :-) I’d like to know more about this topic. Thx again. I do your exercises everyday and it makes a huge difference in my daily life.

had such a weird case with my si joints. I don't have AS but for some reason my si joints flare up all the time, after lifting heavy weights, I did everything to manage it but ultimately had to stop lifting. I 100% don't have it but there was a time in my life that I believe a had so im super greatfull.

It will take 14 years to diagnose, then wrong treatment then corona 2 years then another 2 years block because of office politics ( not getting leaves ) ... My life is destroyed .. being born super talented and thinker which i am not now , now i am dumb .. I also had to fights against narcissist environment .. Both kill my nervous system .... Delay of treatment and narcissist atmosphere and chain incidents finished me ... Last bullet came from soulmate ( i thought ) , injustice ... And when i am going towards death, i saw my close peoples .. like they wanted to fall me down ... I never thought people envy me so much, jealous people doesn't like those happy people who never out of smile even in bad situation .. So they want me to see in that situation ... Unfortunately ... I can't broke 100 bones my own people ... But some people will get punishment who either block or create problems in my treatment ... Ankylosing spondylitis is pain .. along with heart pain ... And now i lost my super brain and cool happy naive attitude ... Already spend near million rupees ... Even i had a good job .. but no money .. no time ... And might be had to lose job .... Just desease give everry opportunity to destroy you ...

I have AS. Symptoms started when I was about 17 and got diagnosed at 33 by a rheumatologist

I had a failed fusion surgery at L-5 S-1, failed back surgery syndrome is what they call it, no feeling in left thigh, very stressful, very well video, very informitive. Thank You.

Thank you Dr I have been to the clinic severally, rheumatoid factor and uric acid is negative but still having triggered fingers, so I will talk to my doctor again with this advice.

Thank you Dr. You explained AS very well.

I had back pain since I was 14, and was diagnosed 2 years ago. I’m 69, and can hardly do anything that requires spine movement, standing, sitting, or coking.

excellent presentation and clear explanation of the disease. thank you very much.