Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group How exercise saved my life

Hi! First-time poster here!

First, a little back story. I never thought i would become #oneofthosepeople who work out, but well, here I am. I'm a 30 year old PhD canditate in organic chemistry from Norway.

I've always hated physical excercise since i was little. My gym teacher was a sadist and he gave me a really hard time because i was so incredible uncoordinated and bad at every sport he threw at me. He made me hate excercise with a passion.

Over the last 10 years I've gotten gradually worse back problems, and my health has been deteriorating. I could not walk up the stairs of my home without getting exhausted and I had very limited movement of my neck and spine. I ate little and I ate a lot of junk. Here's a recap and a picture that show my posture. As you can see i could not even stand upright and stretch my back. For the last 5-6 years I had not gotten a single complete nights sleep because I woke up because of pain whenever I tried to turn around in bed. Due to the pain and lack of movement in my spine I did not do any physical exercise and my sex life was non existent because it was just too much pain.



In january they finally diagnosed me with AS and sent me to a physioterapist. He helped me make an exercise routine which was very low-key (stretching exercised for back and neck). He also manipulated some movement and after just a few weeks my neck went from zero degree movement to well over 30 degrees. I gradually started to sleep better and around march I had my first complete nights sleep in years.

In the end of April I started to jog and I logged my running in runkeeper. I could only run for a couple of hundred meters before I collapsed. I ran for a few times a week and in June I ran my first 5 km. In August I ran my first 10 km and during August I ran for a total of 80 km.

In June they put me on TNF alpha blockers which hasn't been a wonder cure, but it helps me to be more active. My inflammation has gone down a lot but not completely gone away.

I have gotten my apetite back as I get extremely hungry after working out. I have started to eat better and healthier.

In September I started to lift weights in the gym as I have allways wanted to gain some weight (especially some muscles).

I now work out every day alternating muscle groups and I do my running and finally I am starting to see results in addition to just feeling better on the inside. I also post updates here: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/cst025/



It may sound cliché, but exercising gave me my life back and I couldn't be happier.

I hope my story will be inspirational, especially for other young men who feel down because of AS and health issues. I did not see any light at the end of the tunnel 11 months ago, but now I see a bright future for me.

(Excuse for grammar errors as English isn't my first language)

Thanks for sharing your story. Running has saved me also.

One of the first AS complications to manifest itself in my body was that my knees swelled up. The sudden loss of full mobility was devastating and I've been dying to try to figure out a way to get back to being physically fit.

This post is a great inspiration. Thank you!

Yes. I didn't believe my physiotherapist at first when he suggested I start running. My legs could barely keep me standing at the time.

But when I run it's as something in my back just clicks in place and becomes so much more flexible and I feel so much better.

Great story, thanks for the inspiration.

Sold my barbell/rack/bench as I actually thought it was my bad posture in lifting that might have been causing my back pain, but then later found out it was AS (about 8mths back).

Currently my exercise routine is a 14km round trip commute to work on a bike, swim once a week, and yoga for 10-30min every other day. But would like to get back into lifting...

I have some Qs.

1. How are your symptoms now? Do you still get flares/morning lower back pain?
2. Any info on your diet would be good. You sticking to low start, AIP, GAPS, low-FODMAP, combination?
3. What suppliments do you take? Both for AS and lifting? Does Whey have any effect on your AS?

Thanks!

1. My symptoms is still stiff back and neck, but MUCH less so that before I started lifting. I have no pain associated with my back or neck anymore unless I try to twist or bend too far out of my comfort zone. Earlier I struggled a lot with low lung capacity as my chest was very stiff as well, but now I don't feel any restriction in my chest area. The hours after lifting is usually the best hours of the day, and I feel very relaxed, nimble and...well up-right. The mornings have never been much of an issue for me. Usually what makes my back stiff is if I sit and watch TV, so I try to keep away from the sofa as much as possible
I don't have flares, but I've never had any before either. I've allways had more of a constant pain/stiffness.

2. Changing diet never worked for me. My diet consists of a lot of fish, vegetables and protein rich foods. I'm not a fan of red meat or pork, so I usually eat fish every day. I could sell my family for a lifetime supply of broccoli, as it's my favorite vegetable and I need it for every dinner. I eat lots of beans, lentils and muchrooms (I make a bitchin' veg burger). In between meals I have nuts, fruits and cottage cheese to nibble on. When I eat bread I go for the really dark one with lots of grain and seeds.

3. I feel I get sufficient vitamins, minerals and essential oils from my diet, so I don't take any extra. I think I get enough protein as well and I hate the taste of every single protein shake I've tried, but I am considering finding one that I can tolerate and see if it has any effect on muscle mass. I have been using creatin supplements for about 2 months, but my doctor saw some anomalies in my blood tests for liver function, so I'm on a break from that now to see if the values return to normal.

Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring

All the best in future....

Oh, and another thing that helped me increase my movement!

Because of the lack of movement in the spine I had for the last couple of years tried to condensate and make things easier for me. For example, if I had to take something from a high shelf I went up on toes. Or if i had to pick something from the floor I went down on my knees. This of course made me use my back even less and it made it just worse. My physical therapist was the one who made me aware of this, and he said I had to force myself into using my back again even if it hurt a bit or was a struggle. To be aware of when I compensate for the lack of spinal movement and to force my self in those instances has helped me so much!

Hi,

What do your xrays or mris say?

Do you have kyphosis? For example, if you lie flat on your back on a the floor, does the back of your head touch the floor? If not, how far is the back of youe head from the floor?

What is your neck range of motion now? Do your xrays or mris show a reason for the dramatically reduced range of motion?

Thanks for sharing your story.

Hi! My frata shows no signs of fusing in my spinal cord, but my ileosacral joints are almost completely fused (luckily this does not hinder me much as there's little movement in those joints to begun with).
In January i could not lie flat on the floor without a thick pillow. There was a gap between the floor and my head of about 2 clenched fists. In June I could almost get my head to the floor after workout or after stretching (around two fingers from the floor). Now I can get my head to the floor without warming up it had been some incredible months.
I almost can't believe that under a year ago I could not get up from the bed without help from a cane. I am so happy!