AS is managed by a combination of pain relief and appropriate exercise.
Painkilling medication will help to reduce pain and improve your sleep and general well being. However, pain medications are only half the answer. Appropriate exercise is crucial to managing your AS. The pain medications should help you to carry out exercise with less pain.
Click here to learn more about exercise, including physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and intensive therapy courses.
There are a number of different types of medication available to help with AS. Some can be bought over the counter from a chemist, some have to be prescribed by your GP and some can only be prescribed by your rheumatologist. The pages on medication for AS covers the different types of medication currently available.
It is very important that you remain under the care of your rheumatology team and are followed up regularly. This means that you will have regular access to expert reassessment of your AS.
The page on complementary therapies for AS discusses the main complementary and alternative therapies available for AS.
Diet and AS discusses current theories around how changing your diet could help your AS symptoms.
The page on pain management discusses the theory of pain, looking at what pain is, how we feel pain and explains techniques of pain management.
Surgery for AS covers both joint replacement surgery and spinal surgery.
If you have any further questions which are not answered on these pages please click on Ask NASS to submit your query. If you are from the UK we will aim to reply to your query within 5 working days. If you are not based in the UK you may wish to check if there is an AS organisation in your country.
Please note: The information that you have provided in this form will be used to provide you with the most comprehensive answer to your query. This information will not be passed on to any third party. NASS may however use your details to contact you again to make sure the information was useful.The information that NASS provides is for guidance purposes only and is in no way intended to be a substitute for medical consultation with a qualified medical professional.
