Yes, overexertion can start flares, but from my own experience, you don't have to do anything to start a flare: it can start up all by itself. I've had flares start with me being in my daily routine (rut) and not doing anything differently. My diet and activities can remain consistent, and a flare can still start up. AS is just a nasty disease.
I've also found that the flare can end without me doing anything special about it. I used to freak out trying to determine causes and ways to stop flares, but I've found that it's just part of the disease. However, the flare pain makes me lessen my activities until I feel better. Granted, some flares for some people can be so bad that the sufferer needs extra help, so do whatever it takes to find relief. I sometimes resort to Flexeril for help.
And thanks to Enbrel, I also suffer from MS flares. When the AS and MS flares coincide, I just want to scream and crawl into a hole (but crawling hurts too much). I have found that NSD keeps my overall pain at lower levels, both in and out of flares, so it's well worthwhile for me. With NSD, I now rarely suffer horrible rib spasms, which were constantly crushing me before.
So, for me, I keep a healthy diet, I keep active as much as possible, I try not to disconnect from the world, and I don't freak out about flares anymore. 'Stuff' happens.
--Greg
