Understanding Ankylosing Spondylitis -- Symptoms
What Are the Symptoms?
Not everyone develops all of the following symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis of the spine. What you experience depends on the severity of the condition:
- Stiffness and pain in the lower back, buttocks, and hips upon waking in the morning or after a period of inactivity
- Back pain relieved by movement and exercise
- Difficulty bending the spine
- Pain in the hips and difficulty walking
- Pain in the heels and soles of the feet
- Bent-over posture
- Straightening of the normal curvature of the spine
- Loss of appetite, weight loss
- Fatigue, decreased energy
- Eye swelling, redness, and pain
- Sensitivity to light
- Difficulty taking a deep breath (because expanding the chest is difficult and painful)
- Heart failure
- Heart block (problems with the flow of the electrical impulses that control your heart muscle)
- Bowel inflammation like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
Understanding Plantar Fasciitis -- Symptoms
The symptoms of plantar fasciitis include: Pain in the bottom of your foot, especially at the front or center of the heel bone. Pain that is worse when first rising in the morning (called "first-step pain"), when first standing up after any long period of sitting, or after increased levels of activity especially in non-supportive shoes.
Read the Understanding Plantar Fasciitis -- Symptoms article > >
Call Your Doctor About Ankylosing Spondylitis If:
You develop persistent lower-back pain (lasting at least 3 months), especially if it is painful and stiff in the morning but improves with movement and exercise.
You have redness or swelling in the eye, or are abnormally sensitive to light. You could have iritis, a condition commonly associated with ankylosing spondylitis.
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