Could this be AS??
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hi, I'm a 36yr old female who was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 3 years ago. It is mild and well controlled at present. Earlier this year I began having lower back pain and stiffness, worse in the morning. Radiating to buttocks, especially when walking (incidentally I was having a flare of bowel symptoms at the same time) Eventually went to the gp and she ordered a lower spine xray which was reported as normal. Went along to physio who thought my core muscles were weak and putting too much strain on lower back causing pain and gave me some excercise for that.
my back did get better after a couple of months (not because of the excercise I was a bit slack with them) although some stiffness remains. But as my back got better I became aware of a pain in my right hip. Another xray revealed I have osteoarthritis in both hips, worse on the right.
i was refererred to orthopaedics who didn't want to do much but said he believed my arthritis to be related to my ulcerative colitis as he did not know why else I'd have it so young.
So of course I went home and googled and am frankly a little worried! All my back pain symptoms earlier in the year points to some sot of spondylitis. I also have had plantar fasciitis in the last year and am currently suffering from achilles tendonitis. There is no arthritis in the family but my father suffers from psoriasis. Does this sound like an AS picture??
thanks all in advance.
vicki
0 likes, 3 replies
jackie08900 filbyvic
Posted
I got the MRI by finally being referred to a specialist back pain clinic, rather than a normal physio. Actually at that point I had no idea that I might have AS, and I'm still not supposed to - I read it upside down on the MRI referral form!!!
My personal experience is that my back has never got better since this (if it is this) kicked in a couple of years ago, and that physio made no difference at all to the main problem. (It does help if I have pain in other parts of my back, which I think are triggered by the stiffness in my lower spine I using my back wrong). How long are you stiff for in the morning? I find it takes at least 3/4 hour to wear off (and even then I'm very stiff - I can't touch my knees let alone my toes!)
Oh, and I find Ibuprofen many times more effective for the pain that paracetemol or paracetemol and codeine, I think that makes the diagnosis more likely too. (Though again it makes no difference to the stiffness.)
filbyvic jackie08900
Posted
Not really sure if the pain AS comes and goes or like in your case is always there.
I take paracetamol and codeine for the pain as I can't take ibuprofen because of the ulcerative colitis which is a really shame! I was taking tramadol earlier this year when the pain was quite bad but didn't like the way it made me feel!
thats interesting that your father has psoriasis too, I never would have realised the link until I read around. It also transpires that he was diagnosed with spondylitis about 15 years ago but in his upper back/neck and he said they said the joint had fused but he's had no follow up since so who knows!
Whens your MRI?
jackie08900 filbyvic
Posted
I never know quite how blunt to be with GPs, rather than saying 'I read it on Google' I usually try the carefully angled comment approach to get what I want. I saw a GP about painkillers last week and I didn't say 'I read Ankylosing Spondylitis upside down on the back clinic's form', I said 'They're going to refer me to rheumatology' and that did the trick
My MRI is on the 18th, don't know how long I'll have to wait to see somebody about the results.
The pain isn't at the same level all the time - I have periods when it doesn't hurt much except first thing in the morning, and others when it hurts a lot all the time.
Sympathy with the ibuprofen, I've had to stop taking it again because I have gastritis problems, and my back is flaring up again now!