Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. To study the effects of massage on pain, stiffness, and fatigue in a patient recently diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis AS. A year-old woman with AS diagnosed 11 months earlier received 7 massages across a day period. Her pain, stiffness, and fatigue were recorded using visual analogue scales daily during the study period.
Spinal mobility was measured at each massage session with finger-to-floor measurements for both forward and lateral flexion. The client also used a daily journal to supply pertinent information on quality of life. Improvement was recorded in all dependent variables, with stiffness intensity showing the greatest improvement, to a final value of 0. Duration of stiffness also showed improvement, to a final value of 1. Improvement was also found in general pain final value: 1; initial value: 4 , fatigue final value: 1.
Massage shows promise as a treatment for symptoms associated with AS. Further study is needed to validate these effects and to determine the feasibility of massage as an adjunct to standard care for AS patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms of AS.
The resultant stiffening of the joints attributable to that fusion is called ankylosis, and the extent of the fusion can vary from fusion of the pelvic bones only, to fusion of the entire spine.
Enthesitis inflammation at a site where tendon attaches to bone may lead to painful swelling and tenderness Figure 1. The location and prevalence of enthesitis is of major significance for quality of life in a person with AS, with effects that range from sleep disturbance to anxiety, depression, and loss of income because of absence from work 2 , 3.
