NCTV Episode 86

Continuing with the series of bitesize health tip videos which can be found here on my YouTube Channel, this episode, includes:-

  • What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?
  • How to spot it
  • Complications to be aware of
  • What you can do to manage it
  • A rainbow!

Transcript

If you’d prefer to read the content within, rather than watch the video, then feel free to read the transcript, as follows:-

Hello and welcome to NCTV Episode 86 which is all about Ankylosing Spondylitis – AS, also known as Axial Spondyloarthritis. (Axial SpA).

So I touched upon this in Episode 32 but it’s worth devoting its own episode to it because this condition affects around 1 in 200 adults in the UK which is twice as many people as MS and Parkinson’s disease, plus I’ve seen a number of clients with this in clinic, so hopefully this will help to increase awareness on the condition and provide a few tips on how to manage it for those in need.

First of all, what is Ankylosing Spondylitis, or AS for short? Simply put, it’s a form of inflammatory arthritis that most commonly affects the spine, causing backache. However, there is a little more to it than that as it’s a complex condition which can affect different people in different ways, often with other related issues. The cause is thought to be genetic and there’s currently no cure for it but there are ways in which you can manage the condition, which we’ll come to.

When you think of arthritis you may think this typically affects older people, however, with AS, the average age of onset is just 24.

Some of the associated complications may be fusion and fracture of the spine, ribs and feet, osteoporosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and uveitis which could lead to blindness.

Typically, the back pain comes on slowly over several weeks or months, it’s often worse first thing in the morning and at rest and tends to feel better after exercise. Weight loss, fatigue and feeling feverish are also typical symptoms of AS.

As alluded to, when it comes to managing AS, the single most important thing you can do to help yourself is exercise. This is because the fitter and more flexible you are, the better you’ll be able to perform your daily tasks and deal with your symptoms, whilst medications will help, it’s not enough to just rely on these. Exercise will also help improve your sleep, reduce the pain & stiffness and it’ll help with posture control, your lung capacity and balance.

Consequently, the exercise you do needs to be regular, consistent and kept up over the long term, so it’s important to choose something you enjoy. Great activities for AS are hydrotherapy, swimming, cycling, and certain types of exercise classes that are low impact and work on your core-stability like Body Balance which includes Pilates, yoga and Tai-Chi. All of these can also be attended individually. Other good classes that can all be beneficial for AS may include Body Pump, circuit training, HIIT workouts and Spinning classes. However, be sure not to get over-competitive, always start at a beginner level and perform these at your own level and pace.

Aside from exercise, other ways to look after your body and help ease the pain and stiffness associated with AS is through complementary therapies such as osteopathy, of course, chiropractic, acupuncture, physiotherapy, massage and the Alexander Technique to name a few.

Finally, it’s important to adopt a healthy diet with AS to maintain a good weight to prevent putting unnecessary stress on your joints. Eating your five-a-day of fruit and veg will be a great help towards this, and not just greens but reds, oranges, yellows, blues and purples too. In other words, eat the rainbow! Also, be sure to include some protein with the likes of fish, beans and nuts. Calcium with dairy (or equivalent). Additionally, starchy foods in the form of wholegrain or wholemeal pastas, breads and rice. And finally, Omega-3 Fatty Acids which can be found in oily fish such as salmon and maceral or even walnuts.

That’s it for this week’s bitesize bit to help your health flourish and I’ll see you again next time. Bye for now!