When is anti-inflammatory medication recommended for ankylosing spondylitis?

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the spine and sometimes other joints. Symptoms can include back pain and stiffness that are worse after rest and improve with movement, although patterns vary. Anti-inflammatory medicines can reduce inflammation and make movement more comfortable; they do not replace exercise, posture work, or monitoring of the condition. The clinician considers symptom pattern, other illnesses, current medicines, and how you respond. Some people need a different treatment when symptoms remain active or when medicine is unsuitable.

Discuss the choice, dose, timing, and duration with your clinician rather than taking someone else’s medicine. Mention a history of stomach ulcers, kidney disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma triggered by medicines, pregnancy, or blood-thinning treatment. Take the medicine exactly as directed and report troublesome stomach pain, vomiting blood, black stools, swelling, breathing difficulty, or a marked change in urine. Regular movement and a tailored physiotherapy plan help preserve spinal mobility. Read about [Ankylosing Spondylitis]( /conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/ ) and [Anti-Inflammatory Medication]( /treatments/non-surgical-orthopedics/anti-inflammatory-medication/ ).

Seek urgent care for new weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the groin, or severe back pain after trauma. Contact your clinician promptly for a painful red eye with light sensitivity, rapidly worsening symptoms, fever, or medication reactions.

Ask: Is inflammation driving my symptoms? Which medicine suits my health history? How should I protect my stomach and kidneys? When should we review the plan? What exercise or physiotherapy should accompany it?