Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Can trauma to the body trigger AS

My AS has been in remission for 10 years having followed the NSD strictly for 3 months and then loosely when I had no symptoms of AS anymore.

Although I have had more starch than usual lately, mainly due to pregnany, it wasn't until I fell down some icy steps a couple of weeks ago and injured my foot and jarred my whole body, that my AS kicked in after all this time.

There must be a connection. Has anyone else experienced this or know why this might be so?

Hey Tinkerbell - i've read that physical trauma can trigger arthritis, but you also mentioned pregnancy. I believe hormones play a role in remission and flares too, for women at least. There was a post here about out of balance hormones and men and AS tho that's very interesting.
I got sick after i weaned my third and now thinking back was having problems prior to getting pregnant with my first. Then 10 years of pregnancy and nursing did okay - i think that may have kept things at bay for me.

I don't know of any "evidence" to support this notion but I happen to believe it whole heartedly.

I was a strong and healthy naval officer until I "put my back out" at work one day moving computers. Since then, I have been in a constant and unrelenting "flare" that has lasted for four years at this point. This disease hit me like a freight train and brought Ulcerative Colitis along with it for the ride too. I knew nothing of these diseases until I injured my back that day.

There are many others out there who tell similar stories as well. Whether anyone can explain it or not, it certainly does seem to be the case that traumas can kick off the symptoms in a radical and sudden way.

This is also why I'm a bit reticent to buy into the whole diet thing. There just isn't any correlation between my diet and my symptoms. I have fasted for weeks at a time (unvoluntarily of course) and my symptoms did not change, conversely, I could eat tons of "forbidden" foods and suffer just the same as ever.

I know diet can work wonders for some folks so I wouldn't just write it off but personally, I'll put my efforts elsewhere for now.

Sorry to hear that this disease has reared its ugly head at such an inopportune time. I hope you find a way to get it under control again soon.

Chris

Hi Chris:

I had minor pains (primarily toes) for some time without realizing these could be related to an inflammatory arthritis. But it was a fall which injured my shoulder that set off the serious phase of my RA. And, still, my shoulders continue to be the worst affected joints. After the injury the disease took off "like a freight train" as you described, spreading to many joints quite quickly.

Yes trauma can reactivate AS in remission. I remember reading a case study. There was lady who after a considerable length of time of being in remission from AS got into a wreck and it flared up again. AS is a disease that is highly variable.

I think so. I had small flares after each pregnancy and then got my major big flare after receiving chemotherapy for Lymphoma.

Seems to get worse as we age as well.

My first two AS flares came after sports injuries. I think that there are two reasons why injury and/or trauma can cause a flare - pure speculation though.

Using molecular mimicry theory -

1) I think that when the collagen in tendons and ligaments is inflamed by injury it sets off the bodies inflammatory processes and makes it more likely that the immune system will mistake the inflamed collagen for the klebs (both having similar b27 outer surface protein).

2) Physical trauma increases intestinal permeability proportional to the severity of the injury - http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2295931. Thereby worsening or initiating the exposure of gut flora to the immune system and driving the disease process.

I agree. Shug had no issues with his back/neck/hips or anything until he underwent surgery for his reflux. He woke up in agony, not from the op site but from his back/hips. We both believe it was the "trauma" of the operation that kick started his AS. The onset of AS from Shug was instantaneous following his surgery.

Hey
A question my Rheumy once asked me years ago is...Do you remember having a traumatic experience before all this pain started? I said that at age 10 I had caught my hand in a ringer washer and my fingers were badly injured. I later started an infection in the hand and was hospitalized for surgery to repair the damage. Yes that was very traumatic for a 10 yr old. AS moved in right after that and I have been dealing with it ever since...52 years of pain. My spine is completely fused. So...yes, I think trauma is a factor to kick start the disease.

Ray

Hi Shug's wife,

I've suffered from quite severe reflux over time and have a damaged oesophagus as a result. I'm curious about the kind of surgery Shrug had for his reflex. Was it to repair the valve? It seems as though my valve my be weak.

Also - do you believe his reflux is linked to AS?