Ultimate test for ankylosing spondylitis

Ultimate types of test for ankylosing spondylitis

Description The proper test for ankylosing spondylitis needs to be performed as soon as possible, to understand the symptoms and treat them. Introduction Severe lower back pain could be considered as a symptom of a kind of spinal disease known as Ankylosing spondylitis. There is a highly effective test for ankylosing spondylitis, which clearly portrays the causes of your back pain and shows the severity. Your health care professional will diagnose your symptoms and recommends perfectly fitting treatment methods. This type of bone issue arise at all ages and can infect a teen or an older person equally. Therefore people usually seek a doctor's advice only after they experience severe symptoms. According to research, it has been confirmed that nearly one-third of patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis visits their doctors maybe after nearly 10 years after the symptoms arise. Commonly, the people suffering from low back pain usually keeps bouncing around diverse health care professionals such as physical health therapist, primary care physicians, massage therapists and orthopaedic nurses etc. You can seek the help of a rheumatologist or orthopaedic doctor who can diagnose Ankylosing spondylitis syndrome and treat the immune infection and underlying health problems that will affect the bones, joints and muscles. Diagnosing the Ankylosing spondylitis syndrome If you can easily understand the symptoms severe of test for ankylosing spondylitis by identifying the painful areas. Your doctor will be asking you few questions related to the family history to diagnose if the symptoms are inflammatory or mechanical in nature. You might be interrogated about certain basic requirements, before recommending any tests. -

When did you start experiencing the symptoms? How long are you having these lower back pain symptoms? Do the symptoms worsen because of inactivity or in the morning? Do exercises reduce the pain? Other important questions include the following and you need to answer them absolutely truly - Any history of Ankylosing spondylitis syndrome in your family or relatives should be shared. In case you are experiencing other inflammatory symptoms such as bowel syndrome or fever or psoriasis or irritation in the eyes etc., you should tell that information to your doctor. Explain to your physician about the entire areas your pain has spread like from the lower back to shoulders, neck, upper back ribcage, knees and ankles. The spreading of pain to other areas shows the severity of Ankylosing spondylitis issues. Once your doctor has asked you these questions and has checked your conditions, then they might recommend certain tests for ankylosing spondylitis. Basically, the following four tests and diagnostic procedures are conducted for patients struggling with chronic low back pain conditions.

Personal details and physical examination As the first step towards the diagnosis and treatments, your physician might be asking you the above-mentioned questions. And then he will be conducting a physical complete examination for finding the tenderness, inflammation and limited amount of movements in the joints. Various physical examination techniques will be used and you might be asked to perform certain exercises that include – Your physician will perform the Schober test by asking you to bend down with your knees straight up without bending, which can diagnose the lower backbones and muscles flexibility. They might ask you to do some activities by standing with your back against the wall, to analyze the working conditions and flexibility of your neck and spine. They will be measuring your chest while it expands while inhaling and exhaling. Imaging tests – X-ray The next inevitable test for ankylosing spondylitis is imaging tests such as MRI scanning and X-rays. According to scientific research taking conventional testing of X-ray is considered as the first step towards diagnosing. The X-ray images reveal to your physician an outline picture of the joints and bones. Your doctor will be able to see any damages or fusion of bones extensively. But basically, the X-rays does not mean that you are clear of any signs of damages because the fusion or any inflammation will not be seen in the X-rays, maybe for more than 5 years. Your doctor can however spot calcium erosion, expansion of sacroiliac joints or whitened bones. In chronic conditions, your lower bone joint might be fused as the space between the joints might be no longer visible. Imaging – MRI scan The MRI scanning procedure will be sending radio waves that penetrate through your body to generate images of the tissues and cells of your body. These imaging tests allow the doctor to see the tissues surrounding the joints and also reveals any damages or ruptures or inflammation that occur in the tissues within the bones. If you are a patient with Ankylosing spondylitis syndrome then your MRI scan will show swelling or inflammation in the bone marrow, which is known as oedema. Bone erosion and widening of the spaces between joints can be clearly seen in this imaging test.

Blood tests Diverse ranges of blood tests for ankylosing spondylitis will be prescribed by your physician to understand the severity of your symptoms. The genetic marker blood test is the most effective test to be done for patients with Ankylosing spondylitis symptoms they usually do the test for diagnosing the presence of HLA-B27 genetic marker. In case you get a positive in these test results then your doctor might ask you to perform other blood tests. The C- reactive protein test and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate test are known as CPR and ECR blood tests respectively. If the results show an elevation in these conditions then you can be treated accordingly for Ankylosing spondylitis syndrome. Certain blood tests for ruling out other health issues such as rheumatoid and lupus will be recommended in some cases. If your test for ankylosing spondylitis results shows severe symptoms and confirm the presence of Ankylosing spondylitis conditions then, your doctor may prescribe certain medications and exercises. You will be advised to refrain from moving your lower back and take a rest for at least 3 months period of time.