Shop
Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatment
Body Part:
Back & Hips
Equipment:
Midi Foam Roller
Level:
Beginner
This 10-Minute Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatment Relieves Back Pain & Increases Flexibility
Ankylosing spondylitis, also known as Bechterew’s disease, can be difficult to spot. It’s a disorder that causes back pain, and since back pain is one of the most common medical conditions worldwide, ankylosing spondylitis is easy to overlook or mistake for another ailment.
What differentiates ankylosing spondylitis from other back pain conditions is when you feel the discomfort. If you find that your back actually feels worse after periods of inactivity (like when you wake up from sleeping or get up from sitting) and physical movement alleviates your pain, you may have ankylosing spondylitis.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory arthritis that causes your vertebrae to fuse together and reduces the flexibility of your spine, back muscles, and bones. It starts in your sacroiliac joints, which are between the base of your spine and pelvis and can spread to your hips, shoulder joints, and neck. Ankylosing spondylitis may cause curvature of the spine, giving you the appearance of being hunched over.
In addition to back pain, symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis include pain or stiffness in the shoulders, hips, thighs, pelvis, and buttocks. You may have difficulty taking deep breaths because of rib cage pain, experience weakness in your neck, or feel tired. An extreme case of ankylosing spondylitis can cause eye inflammation, light sensitivity, and blurred vision.
There is no known cause of ankylosing spondylitis, but it has been linked to genetics.
Although there is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis, the condition is manageable. We’ve developed an easy-to-follow Ankylosing spondylitis treatment that can help you tackle your symptoms, alleviate your pain, and increase your flexibility. Our exercise routine has been designed to target all areas where you may feel pain or stiffness in just 10 minutes. All you need is our midi foam roller and a chair.
Check out our YouTube video below or scroll down to get step-by-step instructions on how to perform our ankylosing spondylitis treatment.
Fight Pain with Information.
Subscribe to The Pain Relief Advisor
Sign up for our free newsletter and discover how to manage your pain yourself. Every two weeks, we’ll deliver follow-along videos and articles to your inbox.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatment Exercises
For this exercise, you’ll need our midi foam roller. To maximize the benefits of the Spinal Foam Roll Massage, roll slowly for about 2 minutes.
Buy Midi Foam Roller
- Sit on the floor with the midi foam roller under your tailbone. Place your hands behind you for support.
- Begin by rolling along your sacral curve, which is at the base of your spine.
- Press your spine into the protective groove of the midi foam roller until you are between 8 and 9 on your personal pain scale.
- Roll slowly and forcefully along your spine in the direction of your neck. Make sure your spine stays in the protective groove of the midi foam roller.
- When the midi foam roller reaches your neck, you’re finished.
Is balancing on the midi foam roller a bit too challenging? No problem. Foam roll against a wall.
Exercise 2: Neck & Lumbar Stretch
- Sit on the floor and bring the soles of your feet together.
- Grab your toes with one hand and place the other on top of your head.
- Pull yourself forward from your feet and down from your head. You should feel a stretch along your lumbar spine (lower back) and cervical spine (neck).
- Intensify the stretch by sliding your feet forward.
- On each exhale, pull yourself down and forward until you reach between 8 and 9 on your personal pain scale.
- Hold for about 2 minutes.
- Sit up slowly and finish.
Exercise 3: Spinal Floor Press
- Lie on the floor with your legs bent at a 90° angle.
- Press your cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (lower back) against the floor.
- Intensify the exercise by straightening your legs. Make sure your cervical and lumbar spine stay pressed against the floor.
- Press until you reach between 8 and 9 on your personal pain scale.
- Hold for about 1 minute.
- Sit up slowly and finish.
Exercise 4: Pelvic Hang
- Get down on your hands and knees with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lock your arms, lower your pelvis as close to the floor as you can and let it hang.
If you find this position too challenging, lay your pelvis on the floor and prop yourself up on your forearms.
- You should feel a stretch in your hips and lower back.
- On each exhale, intensify the stretch by bringing your pelvis closer to the floor.
- When you reach between 8 and 9 on your personal pain scale, hold for about 1 minute.
Ready for a challenge? Intensify the stretch even further by pulling your shoulders down and tilting your head back until you’re looking at the ceiling.
- Hold for about 2 minutes.
- Slowly leave the stretch by sitting back on your heels and resting your upper body on your thighs.
- Finish by slowly standing up.
Exercise 5: Upper Body Chair Twist
- Sit on a chair with your back straight and hook your ankles around the legs of the chair.
- Grab the right side of the chair with your left hand, the left side with your right hand and turn your upper body to the right. Check to make sure you’re turning your head.
- On each exhale, intensify the stretch by turning your upper body further into the rotation.
- When you reach between 8 and 9 on your personal pain scale, hold for about 2 minutes.
- Repeat on the other side.
Dynamic Cool Down
- Stand in a neutral position.
- Drop forward and let your upper body hang.
- Slowly come up, place your hands on your buttocks and arch your back until you’re looking at the ceiling.
- Raise your arms so that you are shaped like a T. Twist to the left, then to the right.
- Come back centre and finish.
start with a sprint
Perform our Ankylosing spondylitis treatment 6 days a week for a 4 week sprint. But don’t stop there. When your initial sprint is finished, continue exercising and adjust the frequency according to how your back feels.
Fight Pain with Information.
Subscribe to The Pain Relief Advisor
Sign up for our free newsletter and discover how to manage your pain yourself. Every two weeks, we’ll deliver follow-along videos and articles to your inbox.
Did this contribution help you?
Then we would be happy if you shared it with your friends: