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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou might first bring your symptoms to the attention of your family doctor. He or she may refer you to a doctor who specializes in inflammatory disorders (rheumatologist).
What you can do
Before your appointment, you may want to write a list of answers to the following questions:
- When did you begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- Are your symptoms worse in the morning or after long periods of inactivity?
- What, if anything, seems to worsen or improve your symptoms?
- Have you taken medications to relieve the pain? What helped most?
What to expect from your doctor
During the physical exam, your doctor may ask you to bend your back in different directions. He or she may also measure your chest circumference — once with your lungs empty and once with them full of air — to compare the difference.
Your doctor may also try to reproduce your pain by pressing on specific portions of your pelvis or by moving your legs into a particular position. He or she might also ask you to try to stand upright, with both your heels and the back of your head against a wall.
- Braveman SE. Ankylosing spondylitis. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50112-7&isbn=978-1-4160-4007-1&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50112-7--cesec5&uniqId=228570791-3. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Yu DT. Clinical manifestations of ankylosing spondylitis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Mercier LT. Ankylosing spondylitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00010-X--sc0225&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&sid=1090462943&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00010-X--sc0225&uniqId=228720493-4#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00010-X--sc0225. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Yu DT. Treatment and prognosis of ankylosing spondylitis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Inman RD. Clinical subsets of the spondyloarthropathies: Ankylosing spondylitis. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50291-3--cesec29&isbn=978-1-4160-2805-5&sid=1090462943&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50291-3--cesec33&uniqId=228720493-4#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50291-3--cesec33. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Van der Linden SM, et al. Ankylosing spondylitis. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10070-1&isbn=978-1-4160-3285-4&sid=1090462943&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10070-1&uniqId=228720493-4#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10070-1. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
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