Possible AS Symptoms
Hello, first off I want to say I completely understand that no diagnosis can be provided here.
I’m 29 years old (30 in December), and have been dealing with some (I’d say mild) back pain for what I believe has been over a year now. I wasn’t initially worried about it though and it may have been longer.
At first I thought it was just my bed, but after switching beds twice & changing my sleep posture/starting to exercise with no noticeable benefit (maybe slightly worse now), I started researching my symptoms.
From what I’ve been reading, it’s looking more and more likely to me that it’s inflammatory back pain and likely AS.
Some of the symptom that make me think it’s AS:
- Pain in my lower back/hip area when waking up, that seems to go away once I sit up in bed or stand up
- Pain/stiffness when trying to touch my toes, which goes away after trying to touch them 3-4 times
- Some mild lower back pain through the day. Not very noticeable normally unless bending over.
One interesting aspect though is when sitting down during the day (on the couch to watch tv) it doesn’t seem to get worse. I’m not sure if this could be simply because I’m in an early stage. When pacing around the room though, my back does seem to tighten and touching my toes a few times makes it better.
I made an appointment with my doctor, but sadly the soonest I’ll be able to get in is three weeks from now.
If anyone may have time to answer, here are some of the biggest questions I have at the moment:
- Does this seem (purely non-medical opinion), like it may be AS?
- To those currently suffering, or those who may have had similar initial symptoms, how long did it take for the disease to progress beyond mild back pain/pain in mornings.
- Is there a chance the pain could be non-inflammatory (poor posture when sitting/etc.), or does the fact that it seems to get better with stretching/movement, and is worse upon waking, mean a high likelihood of AS/IBP
Apologies for the length of this post, and thank you to anyone who visits. If there’s any information I should add/missed, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thanks
Hi there! Thanks for sharing your story and your questions. I had a lot of the same concerns prior to being diagnosed so I can relate to how you are feeling. As for your pain and symptoms, it’s hard to know what could be causing them but I’m glad you are being proactive about it. How did your appointment with your doctor go? I hope they were able to offer some course of action, like testing. 
Hi there,
Thank you for sharing your experience and questions here.
It's hard to tell as back pain can be due to different things, as you may know.
I think what's important to know is how long you have had this pain for, how long it lasts when you have pain in the back or hip, or any other joints, and whether you experience the pain when you are being still in one position and / or moving about.
There's always the possibility to experience what's called mechanical pain, which is present in the body, in one joint for example, and this pain can go away by the movement. That means mobilising your joint is what makes the pain go down. In that case, there is not inflammation in the joints and so the scans (MRI) are clear.
So before you go to see your doctor, I would suggest that you keep a journal of the symptoms you are experiencing on a daily basis, and try to recall how it started and how your pain has evolved since it all started. It helps to write things done so you will have those answers for the doctor.
Until then, it's a bit difficult to answer your questions. But it's useful that you have some knowledge and awareness about AS/AxSpa. You can then ask the question about AS to your doctor, based on what you know and what you have experienced with your pain.
I hope this helps.
Take care and please keep us posted 😀
Julie.
