ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, debilitating rheumatic condition afecting 2% of Australians that may lead to fusion of the spine and a permanently stooped posture. A key defining feature of ankylosing spondylitis is chronic infalmmatory back pain, which may be characterised by onset in patients aged less than 50 years, chronic back pain of greater than 3 months' duration, plus two or more of the following : morning stiffness lasting longer than 30 minutes; improvement in stiffness and pain with exercise but not rest; alternating buttock pain; awakening with pain in the 2nd half of the night.
A simple checklist : back pain/ stiffness that came on gradually; early morning pain/stiffness that reduces with movement; pain/ stiffness that improves after exercise and is worse after rest; sleep disturbance, in the 2nd part of the night; persistance of the above symptoms for more than 3 months