What are the symptoms of spondylitis? Causes of spinal pain

The spine, lumbar spine, and cervical spine may all experience significant pain. Generally speaking, in addition to fatigue, some diseases can also induce such pain. Therefore, some experts believe that spinal pain is more or less related to spondylitis. So, what exactly is spondylitis and what are its clinical manifestations?

What is Spondylitis

Spondylitis mainly affects young people. The initial symptom is lower back pain, because spondylitis first attacks the sacroiliac joint and gradually spreads upward, causing calcification of the ligaments of the spinal joints. X-rays show that the intervertebral spaces disappear and the spine becomes bamboo-like. It is difficult to detect in the early stages. In the late stages, the back pain worsens, and the patient cannot sit for a long time. Finally, a severe hunchback, stiff neck, and inability to stand upright are formed.

Clinical manifestations

Spondylitis is not just a disease of the spinal joints. Most cases may be accompanied by the invasion of major joints throughout the body; different joints affected will produce pain and symptoms related to the joint. When the hip joint is affected, the patient may report hip pain, but some patients often complain of groin pain on the affected side. Hip flexion and limited mobility may occur in the early stage, and flexion-contraction deformity may also occur in the knee joint. Although rare, it is also one of the causes of disability. Other toe joints may become red, swollen and painful, but it is rare to have deformities. Swelling and pain in the toe joints are the least common.

In addition, a few cases may also experience pain, swelling or tenderness in the temporomandibular joint, costovertebral joint, and sternoclavicular joint. Involvement of the costovertebral joints may cause chest pain and weakened breathing. It may also stimulate the intercostal nerves, causing intercostal neuralgia and left-sided intercostal neuralgia. Some cases may be misdiagnosed as angina, which deserves attention and identification.