Ankylosing Spondylitis of the spine.

This basically means the inflammation and stiffness of a joint and in this selection I picked the spine. This is usually chronic and progressive form of seronegative arthritis. It usually affects the lumbosacral joint. Emedicine explained the Pathophysiology as; " The basic pathologic lesion of ankylosing spondylitis occurs at the entheses, which are sites of attachment to bone of ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules. Enthesopathy results from inflammation, with subsequent calcification and ossification at and around the entheses. Inflammation with cellular infiltration by lymphocytes, plasma cells, and polymorphonuclear leukocytes is associated with erosion and eburnation of the subligamentous bone. The process usually starts at the sacroiliac joints. Other enthesopathic sites include the iliac crest, ischial tuberosity, greater trochanter, patella, and calcaneum. In the paravertebral soft tissues, the lesion manifests as a formation of new bone within the outer layers of the annulus fibrosis of the intervertebral disk. The margins of the disk are invaded by hyperemic granulation tissue arising from the subchondral bone. This tissue replaces the disk fibers with new bone." I quoted the whole thing just in case I missed something and didn't explain it correctly. From what I read, there are no cures for this and it starts at young ages. They usually give pain medication for the pain. This is another one of those "well this sucks" moments. :)