Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesSymptomsRisk FactorsDiagnosisTreatmentCopingNext in Axial Spondyloarthritis GuideAxial Spondyloarthritis Symptoms
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Symptoms
Risk Factors
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
Next in Axial Spondyloarthritis Guide
Axial spondyloarthritis(axSpA) is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes chronic pain in the lower back and axial joints (spine, chest, and pelvis). This progressive condition can cause severe pain along with stiffness and fatigue. Getting an early diagnosis and beginning treatment is key to managing axSpA.
This article discusses the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, andtreatment for axSpA.
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Types of Axial Spondyloarthritis
The two types of axial spondyloarthritis are:
Prevalence of axSpA
Axial Spondyloarthritis Symptoms
As the condition progresses, symptoms may come and go and may vary in intensity. Symptoms typically worsen after periods of inactivity, such as sleeping and resting.
Back pain is the first and most predominant symptom of axSpA. If your back pain is related to axial spondyloarthritis, it may be:
Aside from back pain, other common symptoms of axSpA include:
Men and women with axSpA may experience different symptoms. Women tend to have more peripheral pain in the neck, shoulders, hips, and other joints than men.
Causes and Risk Factors
Researchers are continuing to explorethe causes of axial spondyloarthritis. Though a specific cause has not yet been identified, there are certain risk factors that can increase your chances of developing axSpA.
These risk factors include:
Different Types of Arthritis and Pain Characteristics
If you suspect you have axial spondyloarthritis, schedule a visit with your healthcare provider or arheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in joint-related conditions. Early diagnosis can ensure you receive timely and effective treatment and improve your long-term outcomes.
To reach adiagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis, your healthcare provider will begin with a review of your medical history, risk factors, such as family history and other autoimmune conditions, and ask about the symptoms you are experiencing. They will do a physical examination to look for joint inflammation in your spine, pelvis, and hips.
They may also perform a neurological evaluation to assess your motor and sensory functions, such as your muscle strength and reflexes.
Lab work and imaging tests are important steps in giving an accurate diagnosis of axSpA. Blood tests will look for:
Blood tests alone cannot provide enough evidence to diagnose axial spondyloarthritis, so you may also undergo some imaging tests. These tests will look for evidence that axSpA has affected your spine and joints.Tests can include:
Delayed DiagnosisNearly half of all people diagnosed with axSpA wait five or more years for a diagnosis, which can lead to irreversible spine damage.
Delayed Diagnosis
Nearly half of all people diagnosed with axSpA wait five or more years for a diagnosis, which can lead to irreversible spine damage.
Lower Back and Hip Pain: What’s Causing It?
There is no cure for axial spondyloarthritis, buttreatmentscan help manage symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.
Depending on the severity of your symptoms, your healthcare provider may recommend certain types of medication, including:
Another way to help relieve axSpA symptoms is with exercise.
When you’re in pain, exercising may be the last thing you want to do. However, most people with axSpA find relief from their back pain with movement and gentle stretching. Finding an exercise program and sticking to it can help you build muscle and maintain a healthy weight, which protects the joints from extra pressure and stress.
Flexibility exercises and stretching can help preserve your mobility and joint function.
If axSpA has caused significant damage to your spine that limits your mobility or causes debilitating pain, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery. The affected joints will be replaced with a prosthetic to restore function and mobility and provide pain relief.
Living with axial spondyloarthritismeans experiencing a variety of symptoms that can have a tremendous impact on your life. Living with chronic pain is hard, and finding ways to cope can go a long way in helping you live life to the fullest.
Though your pain may not fully disappear, there are measures you can take to alleviate the pain and find ways to cope, including:
Summary
Axial spondyloarthritis is a condition affecting the spine, chest, and pelvic joints. It can lead to severe back pain as well as other symptoms. Diagnosis is often delayed, so it’s important to meet with your healthcare provider if you are experiencing pain and other related symptoms. Treatment options such as medication, surgery, and lifestyle changes can help.
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Deodhar, AA.Understanding axial spondyloarthritis: primer for managing care.American Journal of Managed Care. 2019;25:-S0.Protopopov M, Poddubnyy D.Radiographic progression in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2018;14(6):525-533. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2018.1477591Rusman T, van Bentum RE, van der Horst-Bruinsma IE.Sex and gender differences in axial spondyloarthritis: myths and truths.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020;59(Suppl4):iv38-iv46. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa543Robinson PC, Brown MA.The genetics of ankylosing spondylitis and axial spondyloarthritis.Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2012;38(3):539-553. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2012.08.018Soleimanifar N, Nicknam MH, Bidad K, et al.Effect of food intake and ambient air pollution exposure on ankylosing spondylitis disease activity.Adv Rheumatol. 2019;59(1):9. doi:10.1186/s42358-019-0051-2Wendling D, Prati C.Spondyloarthritis and smoking: towards a new insight into the disease.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2013;9(6):511-516. doi:10.1586/eci.13.35Castro MP, Stebbings SM, Milosavljevic S, Bussey MD.Role of physical evaluation in the early identification of axial spondyloarthritis: a research proposal.Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;8:59-64. doi:10.4137/CMAMD.S28347Spondylitis Association of America.Diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis.Khmelinskii N, Regel A, Baraliakos X.The role of imaging in diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2018;5:106. doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00106Canadian Spondylitis Association.Could I have spondylitis?Arthritis Foundation.Spondyloarthritis.Poddubnyy D, Sieper J.Treatment of axial spondyloarthritis: what does the future hold?.Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2020;22(9):47. doi:10.1007/s11926-020-00924-5Rohleder N.Stress and inflammation - The need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;105:164-171. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Deodhar, AA.Understanding axial spondyloarthritis: primer for managing care.American Journal of Managed Care. 2019;25:-S0.Protopopov M, Poddubnyy D.Radiographic progression in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2018;14(6):525-533. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2018.1477591Rusman T, van Bentum RE, van der Horst-Bruinsma IE.Sex and gender differences in axial spondyloarthritis: myths and truths.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020;59(Suppl4):iv38-iv46. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa543Robinson PC, Brown MA.The genetics of ankylosing spondylitis and axial spondyloarthritis.Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2012;38(3):539-553. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2012.08.018Soleimanifar N, Nicknam MH, Bidad K, et al.Effect of food intake and ambient air pollution exposure on ankylosing spondylitis disease activity.Adv Rheumatol. 2019;59(1):9. doi:10.1186/s42358-019-0051-2Wendling D, Prati C.Spondyloarthritis and smoking: towards a new insight into the disease.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2013;9(6):511-516. doi:10.1586/eci.13.35Castro MP, Stebbings SM, Milosavljevic S, Bussey MD.Role of physical evaluation in the early identification of axial spondyloarthritis: a research proposal.Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;8:59-64. doi:10.4137/CMAMD.S28347Spondylitis Association of America.Diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis.Khmelinskii N, Regel A, Baraliakos X.The role of imaging in diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2018;5:106. doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00106Canadian Spondylitis Association.Could I have spondylitis?Arthritis Foundation.Spondyloarthritis.Poddubnyy D, Sieper J.Treatment of axial spondyloarthritis: what does the future hold?.Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2020;22(9):47. doi:10.1007/s11926-020-00924-5Rohleder N.Stress and inflammation - The need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;105:164-171. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Deodhar, AA.Understanding axial spondyloarthritis: primer for managing care.American Journal of Managed Care. 2019;25:-S0.Protopopov M, Poddubnyy D.Radiographic progression in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2018;14(6):525-533. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2018.1477591Rusman T, van Bentum RE, van der Horst-Bruinsma IE.Sex and gender differences in axial spondyloarthritis: myths and truths.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020;59(Suppl4):iv38-iv46. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa543Robinson PC, Brown MA.The genetics of ankylosing spondylitis and axial spondyloarthritis.Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2012;38(3):539-553. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2012.08.018Soleimanifar N, Nicknam MH, Bidad K, et al.Effect of food intake and ambient air pollution exposure on ankylosing spondylitis disease activity.Adv Rheumatol. 2019;59(1):9. doi:10.1186/s42358-019-0051-2Wendling D, Prati C.Spondyloarthritis and smoking: towards a new insight into the disease.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2013;9(6):511-516. doi:10.1586/eci.13.35Castro MP, Stebbings SM, Milosavljevic S, Bussey MD.Role of physical evaluation in the early identification of axial spondyloarthritis: a research proposal.Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;8:59-64. doi:10.4137/CMAMD.S28347Spondylitis Association of America.Diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis.Khmelinskii N, Regel A, Baraliakos X.The role of imaging in diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2018;5:106. doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00106Canadian Spondylitis Association.Could I have spondylitis?Arthritis Foundation.Spondyloarthritis.Poddubnyy D, Sieper J.Treatment of axial spondyloarthritis: what does the future hold?.Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2020;22(9):47. doi:10.1007/s11926-020-00924-5Rohleder N.Stress and inflammation - The need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;105:164-171. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021
Deodhar, AA.Understanding axial spondyloarthritis: primer for managing care.American Journal of Managed Care. 2019;25:-S0.
Protopopov M, Poddubnyy D.Radiographic progression in non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2018;14(6):525-533. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2018.1477591
Rusman T, van Bentum RE, van der Horst-Bruinsma IE.Sex and gender differences in axial spondyloarthritis: myths and truths.Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020;59(Suppl4):iv38-iv46. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keaa543
Robinson PC, Brown MA.The genetics of ankylosing spondylitis and axial spondyloarthritis.Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2012;38(3):539-553. doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2012.08.018
Soleimanifar N, Nicknam MH, Bidad K, et al.Effect of food intake and ambient air pollution exposure on ankylosing spondylitis disease activity.Adv Rheumatol. 2019;59(1):9. doi:10.1186/s42358-019-0051-2
Wendling D, Prati C.Spondyloarthritis and smoking: towards a new insight into the disease.Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2013;9(6):511-516. doi:10.1586/eci.13.35
Castro MP, Stebbings SM, Milosavljevic S, Bussey MD.Role of physical evaluation in the early identification of axial spondyloarthritis: a research proposal.Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2015;8:59-64. doi:10.4137/CMAMD.S28347
Spondylitis Association of America.Diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis.
Khmelinskii N, Regel A, Baraliakos X.The role of imaging in diagnosing axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2018;5:106. doi:10.3389/fmed.2018.00106
Canadian Spondylitis Association.Could I have spondylitis?
Arthritis Foundation.Spondyloarthritis.
Poddubnyy D, Sieper J.Treatment of axial spondyloarthritis: what does the future hold?.Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2020;22(9):47. doi:10.1007/s11926-020-00924-5
Rohleder N.Stress and inflammation - The need to address the gap in the transition between acute and chronic stress effects.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;105:164-171. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.02.021
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