Journal of Novel Physiotherapies
Open Access

Abstract

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis, have an increased risk of functional limitation if adequate treatment of all functional alterations is not performed. Pain is not the only symptom to be treated in patients with this condition, there are functional alterations characteristic of the disease, as well as alterations of the environment and the role of life that directly influence the well-being and functionability of patients. The main alterations presented by ankylosing spondylitis are, pain and stiffness caused by inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, which progressively extends to other joints of the spine, producing numerous changes in the patient's posture. Physiotherapy treatment in ankylosing spondylitis plays a very important role both in the prevention of the evolutionary process of the disease and in the treatment of the disease once the symptoms have appeared. Thus, one of the tools that the physiotherapist has for the treatment of AS in the long term is the Therapeutic Exercise. A study by Viitanen et al., provides a very important data for our investigation, the results showed that the duration of the disease does not affect the results; or in other words, that the effects of physical exercise on these patients are independent of the progress of the disease, or of the stage of the pathology in which the patient is found, so that age would not be an inconvenience for the inclusion of these patients in a physical exercise program. It should be noted that all the exercises of the program must be related to the alterations that patients of ankylosing spondylitis suffer as a result of it. Not all exercises are beneficial for this affectation. The present bibliographic review is accompanied by a proposal based on a series of case studies, the results of which have allowed patients in this condition to maintain an active life and with minimal limitations in function.

Biography

Erika Cyrus Barker is the Chair Director of Physical Therapy Program, Santa Paula University, Costa Rica and a Physical Therapist with studies in Rehab Sciences. She has completed her PhD in Medical Sciences Research. She has a Master’s degree in Functional Rehabilitation of Elderly Population. She is also a Researcher in the field of functional limitations caused by chronic degenerative diseases.

Email: ecyrus@uspsantapaula.com