There’s No "One Size Fits All" With Axial Spondyloarthritis

If you and I were to sit down and compare notes about our health we would probably have much in common.

I’m guessing we both have either a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of AxSpa, which means we would likely have a fair amount of shared experience. We could compare notes on lower back pain, sleepless nights, dealing with various healthcare professionals, and navigating medication.

We might even share some genes in common that predispose us to this particular diagnosis.

It would be easy to assume that our approach to managing AS would look the same too. This is what I believed when I was first diagnosed and is still the assumption many doctors make when they give treatment recommendations. “You have x, therefore you need to do y".

Life for people with AS would be a lot easier if it were this simple!

In reality, the medication that works for me might be a disaster for you. The dietary change that helps one group of people might do nothing for others. The exercise program designed by an enthusiastic physical therapist might be an excellent solution for one person and result in injury and frustration for another.

I believe this is because we are more unique than we are the same. The environments we grew up in, the stressors we experience, the good and bad inputs to our minds and bodies over time are all completely different. It makes sense that our bodies would respond to treatment differently too.

A wise rheumatologist once said to me “there is no one size fits all with this condition.” He has witnessed the many variable factors in his patients over the years and seen completely different results. As a medical practitioner going by the book, he still has limits on what solutions to offer his patients, but he’s a big fan of empowering people to discover their own self-management strategies.

I have made plenty of mistakes as I’ve tried to find the best way to manage my AxSpa

I followed an exercise plan that caused me pain and injury.
I stuck to a hard-core dietary protocol that resulted in disordered eating and misery.

Both of these approaches had worked for others but they were very wrong for me. The big lesson I ended up learning was to listen less to others and more to my own instincts. Perhaps easy to say in hindsight, but thinking back I know I stuck with things long after I knew they weren’t right for me.

Working as a health coach I fully acknowledge there is no one solution for people with AS. What has worked for me may well not be the approach my clients want or need to take. My role is not to give instruction but to help each person figure out what resonates with them, what feels like the next best stop, what they are and are not prepared to work on in their journey to self-management.

It’s like figuring out all the pieces of a very unique, customized puzzle; one that takes time but, in my experience, is well worth the effort.