My husband served in Desert Storm. When he was there, he was in a transport that ran over a mine. No one was killed, but my husband started suffering a slowly degenerative back disorder, ever since.

He noticed immediately that it was harder to train. With every sit up, his back seems to become stiffer, and stiffer. After leaving the army, he made multiple VA appointments and they never could figure out why his back was getting steadily worse. He had no idea there was a serious problem, until five years later when he had practically no range of motion in his neck. He continued to go to the VA. They gave him a tens machine and he used it, to no avail. He spent years with severe back pain that increased every day. The VA had X-rays that told him he had inflamed discs in his back. That was the most help he could get, as he tried to figure out what to do.

Recently, he heard of a type of chiropractic procedure called, MUA (Manipulation Under Anethesia). His muscles were frozen by now, so chiropractic was out of the question, unless he could receive his adjustments under anesthesia... so he deduced. He found a chiropractor that utilized MUA, and made an appointment. The chiropractor X-rayed my husband's back, only to find his cervical spine was calcified to the point of fusion. The doctor told my husband he thought he might have Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). My husband was then sent for blood work, and an MRI. The bloodwork would tell the doctor whether, or not, my husband had the HLA-B27 genotype, which is a marker for AS. The MRI would tell the chiropractor how much manipulation he could do on my husband's spine to prevent further deterioration. My husband is 38 years old, and because he was not able to diagnose his back disease, he has the spine of a man more than twice his age.

What is Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)?

AS is a condition that affects the joints of the spine, causing inflammation and pain. It is chronic and, if not caught early enough, progressive. AS attacks the joints between the vertebrae, and the sacroiliac joints. The sacroiliac joints are located in the area where the pelvis connects to the spine. The cause of AS is unknown. There are markers that should be checked, such as the HLA-B27 genotype, because this genotype is believed to be linked with the disease. Other factors may come into play, such as enviornmental, bacterial, and immune related. Men are 5 times more likely to have this disease than women.

What are the Symptoms of AS?

• Fatigue
• Pain and stiffness in the lower back that is worse in the morning, but lessens during the day
• Limited range of motion, pain and stiffness in the shoulders, neck and hips
• Restricted ability to expand the chest
• Inflammation of the eyes, as well as other parts of the body

If you have these symptoms and have been putting off getting checked out, I am urging you to seek out professional advice. I am not a doctor. My husband's back will never get better. Our only hope is that it doesn't get any worse.