hi ...me again.
If AS doesent burn itself out ,then why do people feel no more pain in the spine and neck once fused.This seems weird to me.I have read that once fused the pain is gone or much less in the spine and neck.What could be the reason for no more pain there.Is inflammation only active when fusing bones,and then goes away after it has fused them.I understand it still lingers forever on our organs,but i have read a lot about pain going away once fused in the spine.It is kinda like this to me....
Once the wood is all burnt the fire goes out....the reason for this ...no more wood

On the other hand...when the spine is all fused the pain goes away.....what caused the pain to go away.

Hmmmmmmm..weird or what ( William Shatner)

The pain doesn't have to go away, fused bones can still ache (ask me how I know this). However motion of inflammed joints causes additional pain, so if the joint is fused it won't be susceptible to this additional pain. Keeping partially fused joints stable and unmoving will also make them hurt less but fuse more easily (heh you can ask me how I know this too).

Hello Fonzy,

For my father, pain did not go away, but it was improved once he was fused... he was told because he could no longer use those joints. I guess that is what happened to my left SI as well in comparison to my right SI.

You can also still have pain from mechanical damage however.

Tim

Hmmmmm.....fascinating (leonard Nimoy)



hi John

Hi, John:



"So I went to the doctor and told him Doc, it hurts when I do this" Doctor said 'Don't do that!'

The problem with not being able to move, aside from not being able to move is that the fusions are not really as strong as actual bone, so are prone to collapse and breakage. When I had such a 'pseudarthrosis,' the pain was many times worse than (integrated) all the pain from inflammation which led to that fusion.

Fusion is something to avoid at all expense and inconvenience, but once the primary chemical reactions are over in a specific joint, there will be nothing else to react with; having collagens replaced by calcification.

AS is a systemic disease that affects every cell in our bodies, including muscles like the heart. It can seem to 'burn-out' but there are dragon's teeth sown with each episode, whether those incidents are perceptible or below our conscious level of appreciation.

HEALTH,
John

Thanks everyone for your answers.I got it finally instilled in my old knoggin.

My mom was told that it would "burn out", but she's fused all over the place and swears it hasn't helped at all. Me thinks it's pretty individual in nature.

really interesting discussion guys. the ironic part of me thinks "well wouldn't it just figure that once I'm past youth and being able to grow my family and take good care of my small kids, things will look up". but then there is a more grateful part that hopes beyond hope that it is true for all of us. cheers to hoping!!

Also ....... Just to make matters more complex. Chronic pain by itself can become quite self sustaining. In other words - whats happening in your tissue can sometimes be quite disconnected to how much pain you are experiencing. Lots of research now out there about chronic pain, so-called 'plastic' changes in the brain and ongoing pain perception. My feeling would be that everyone will have a different path in terms of pain - its such a subjective and personal experience. Like most things with this condition. No easy answers and nothing, unfortunately, is simple.
Will