What may be “good” for Ankylosing Spondylitis / Chronic Pain could actually be making our symptoms worse.
When it comes to decision making, humans often will gather information from a trusted source (unfortunately, Google has become this for many seeking medical advice). For example, I did all the things people told me to do that were deemed as “good” for me when I was first diagnosed. I did yoga, stretched, took hot epsom salt baths, spine decompression, physiotherapy, chiropractic therapy, massage therapy, and the list goes on. They all seemed to play a minor role in helping me feel better, but that feeling was never sustained nor felt to a high level of functioning. I was still in pain and exhausted BUT because someone credible had told me to do these things, I kept doing them despite it not helping.
After many years, I finally started to question the “status quo” of advice I was being given and started to explore what my body truly needed.
What I learned was:
Yoga and stretching helped loosen my joints in the moment, but would actually aggravate my joints in the following days. I would chase the feeling of being relaxed because I was focused on how it made me feel right after BUT I wasn’t aware that it was contributing to my overall pain. I replaced yoga and stretching with release work and strength training which has been a MAJOR difference.
I’ve worked with an AS client who’s primary form of movement was Yoga and yet her back kept hurting. I told her to try giving Yoga a pause while working on hip and lower back stability exercises. She noticed immediate improvement and is now doing Yoga in a more modified approach while continuously working on her strength and stability.
Hot baths and extended hot showers also made my muscles and joints feel relaxed during and after, however I noticed that it would increase my overall inflammation the next couple days. I’d also notice an increase in “injury” or tweaking something during the days after a really hot bath or shower. I find ice baths and cold showers to ACTUALLY help with my overall inflammation, pain, and energy despite how uncomfortable it is during them.
Spinal decompression exercises and stretches helped loosen my spine for maybe a couple hours. With Ankylosing Spondylitis, the idea of keeping our spine loose makes a lot of sense until I stumbled upon Dr. Stu McGill. He is a low back specialist and is the leading researcher in low back pain. I had the pleasure of taking a Low Back Disorders course with him in University. He taught me to strengthen my spine so it can actually endure the physical demands of LIFE.
Physiotherapy, chiropractic therapy, and massage therapy have all given my body mixed responses. The MAJORITY of the practitioners I have seen over the last 2 decades have been a waste of money. However, when I find a SKILLED and CARING practitioner, then they can help immensely. It has taught me that their education alone is not enough as the best practitioners will continue to take courses to better their practice. It’s best to take the time and “audition” practitioners until you find the one best suited for you.
These are some of the things that I thought were good for me but were actually detrimental. I’ll post more in future articles.
I also want to emphasize how this was my PERSONAL experience and it may be different for you. All I encourage for my clients is that they truly advocate for themselves and be curious about everything surrounding their condition. There is no “one size fits all” principle and it takes constant experimentation to figure out what works for us and what doesn’t. The persistent self research can feel exhausting, but it’s worth it every time we stumble upon a big discovery and lesson.