Deformity

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory condition that involves the spine and skeleton of the head and trunk. The disorder causes inflammation and pain in joints in the spine, pelvis and other parts of the skeleton. In addition, parts of the spine, the sacroiliac joints where the hips join the lower back, or the hips may fuse, or grow, together.

Symptoms include:

• Pain
• Stiffness, especially in the morning
• Functional limitation

When the disorder affects the spine, it also may result in progressive deformity including curvature of the back, called kyphosis, and the inability to stand up straight.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007