Therapies for ankylosing spondylitis

The mix can change as symptoms, function, other health conditions, and treatment response change. Medication and physical therapy address different parts of the condition, so they are often considered together rather than as interchangeable choices.

Anti-inflammatory medication may reduce pain and stiffness, while other prescription medicines may be considered when inflammation remains active. The choice depends on disease activity, previous response, medical history, current medicines, and potential adverse effects. Treatment review may include symptoms, examination findings, daily function, and selected tests.

Physiotherapy focuses on spinal and hip mobility, posture, strength, breathing mechanics, and ways to manage work or household demands. Exercise therapy turns these goals into a repeatable plan. Hydrotherapy can make movement more comfortable for some people because the water supports body weight, although it does not replace land-based activity needed for everyday tasks.

Take prescribed medicine as directed and report side effects or loss of benefit instead of changing the dose yourself. Keep movement frequent and manageable: mobility work, strengthening, aerobic activity, and posture practice can be adapted around a flare. The right effort should challenge you without repeatedly causing sharp pain or a sustained worsening of symptoms.

Bring a concise symptom record to follow-up appointments. Include morning stiffness, night waking, movement limits, fatigue, missed activities, medicine use, and any eye, skin, or bowel symptoms. This gives the care team a fuller picture than a pain score alone.

Contact your treating clinician promptly if symptoms escalate despite the plan, medicine causes a concerning reaction, or you develop signs of infection while taking a medicine that affects immune activity. A painful red eye, light sensitivity, or blurred vision needs same-day eye assessment because eye inflammation can threaten vision if care is delayed.

Seek urgent evaluation after significant spinal trauma or for new weakness, spreading numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, chest pain, or severe breathing difficulty. Do not assume these problems are simply part of a flare.

Ask what the current therapy is intended to improve, how benefit and side effects will be monitored, and what to do during a flare or infection. Request specific guidance on exercise intensity, movement restrictions, medicine checks, and the point at which another treatment option would be considered.