Perhaps a silly question. All I know is I have been getting stiffer and stiffer each day. Dr. wants me to increase the Arthotec but I fear I will be unable to remain awake in class if I up the dose. My rib cage twisting really tires me out when I have to climb stairs or walk down long hallways to get to my next class.

I sure hope it doesn't get worse than this! Feeling 90 when one is just 44 is not a good deal.

Hi Magic,
No I don't think it can turn into AS my Scoliosis was caused by my AS I'm 56 so I feel 102 ha ha And I look about 180

Kevin

Not as old as Alan.

TRUE.

Haven't heard from him for a bit - where is he? Hope he hasn't got too old to fight back.

What are the long term treatment possibilities for scoliosis, Magician? Arthrotec just sounds like a temporary bandaid solution.

Magic, as I understand it, many people with AS have scoliosis to some degree or other. They found mine when they x-rayed me back in 1991 or so. I have slight scoliosis to the right at the base of my spine. But I don't think scoliosis can cause AS.

Is there no way the school can help make this easier on you? I hate the thought of you trying to make your way around campus with your ribs hurting like that.

Warm hugs,

I have a short but obvious 7-8 degree scoliosis in my lumbar spine, which affects my mid back as well. As far as I know, it pre-dates my AS. I used to get bad rib pain (and still do to some degree), but now I do stomach/back exercises every morning and it pretty much took care of the pain.

I basically lie on my back, keep my legs together, ourtright, and stiff, and lift them straight into the air, then bring them back down to the floor slowly. I then do another set with my legs spread apart in a V. Together these really get my stomach, back, and ribs pretty good.

-Ryan

i think the question i would be asking myself, asking my doctors is why do i have scoliosis? what is causing my scoliosis?

like if the scoliosis is caused by AS as kevin says his was, then having a dx of the scoliosis first and then later the doctors realizing the cause and then it being defined better than just the term scoliosis.

like they used to like to throw around the term myofacial pain, but that's not really a dx, but rather a description of the symptoms. now we have the underlying cause, spondy.

My guess is that scoliosis is an early symptom of AS.
An immune mediated attack on elements of the skeletal system might pull the body out of alignment.
More obvious symptoms would come later - probably magnified by the body distortion resulting from the scoliosis.

Gut feeling it would be rare to find an AS patient who is dead "straight", without some degree of scoliosis?