What is ankylosing spondylitis?
Ankylosing spondylitis is a progressive inflammatory arthritic condition that impacts mobility by causing pain and stiffness in the spine. Because it is a systemic disease, ankylosing spondylitis may involve pain and inflammation other large joints as well. The age of onset is typically 20 to 40 years old, and the first symptoms are usually low back pain and hip pain. People who suffer from ankylosing spondylitis find it difficult to carry out their daily activities and hobbies.
Occupational therapy, coupled with physical therapy, is often critically important to help manage ankylosing spondylitis. Your doctor may prescribe occupational therapy as part of your treatment regimen.
Overview of occupational therapy
Physical therapy enables easier movement. Occupational therapy, on the other hand, focuses on your ability to perform activities of daily living. Activities of daily living involve physical skills required to independently care for one’s self and also entails the ability to engage in intellectual and social activities.
Occupational therapists design their care plan based on your specific, personal needs. They work with people experiencing all kinds of cognitive, sensory, and physical needs, and assist them to live an independent life.
Occupational therapy helps you safely return to school or work as soon as possible while aiding in the prevention of potential future injuries as you go about your normal duties.
Exercises involved in occupational therapy
Physical therapy encompasses different range-of-motion activities to ease your symptoms and maximize movement. On the other hand, your occupational therapist will focus on improving gross and fine motor skills.
Your occupational therapist might help with exercises such as:
- Tying shoes
- Getting dressed
- Playing games
- Catching or throwing a ball
- Bathing
- Feeding with utensils
- Learning how to use assistive devices
Your therapist will set treatment plans and design exercise programs that will help you reach your functional goals, and they may re-evaluate your plan of treatment in regularly scheduled intervals.
How does occupational therapy help in ankylosing spondylitis?
Depending on the progression of ankylosing spondylitis and the severity of your disease, you may find that your independence is limited and your ability to complete daily tasks is minimized, especially tasks that involve bending and stretching. Ankylosing spondylitis may also stop you from engaging in social activities and hobbies that you once enjoyed. Occupational therapy for ankylosing spondylitis will help you to achieve independence, enhance your functionality in carrying out tasks, and educate you on specific adaptation techniques to maximize your ability to enjoy your favorite hobbies while establishing a more active social life. Furthermore, your occupational therapist will recommend and train you on the use of assistive devices where necessary to help you successfully complete your daily tasks.
Is occupational therapy expensive?
Virtual Therapy Partners makes occupational therapy affordable and accessible to all people that may benefit from therapy. The exact cost of your treatment will depend on the number of telehealth therapy sessions you choose to sign-up for. After your initial assessment, your VTP therapist will work with you to determine what type of treatment plan and how many sessions may be best for your individual needs. Thus, your out-of-pocket cost will depend on the duration of treatment, and the severity of your condition. If you have insurance, we will provide you with a superbill of your treatment upon completion so that you can submit it to your insurance carrier, who will determine if you are eligible for payment from them. If you have further questions or are uncertain on how exactly to proceed with therapy, you can always contact us to discuss options with a therapist before commencing treatment.
Does occupational therapy for ankylosing spondylitis have any drawbacks?
Committing your time may be the only thing that might be considered a drawback of undergoing occupational therapy. Your therapist is concerned about your health and wants you to get back to being independent as soon as possible. To do this, based on the severity of the disease and your availability, your therapist might want to schedule regular visits to see how you are progressing.
To ease things, you can agree with your therapist the best day and time for your sessions.
Does occupational therapy for ankylosing spondylitis have any drawbacks?
Committing your time may be the only thing that might be considered a drawback of undergoing occupational therapy. Your therapist is concerned about your health and wants you to get back to being independent as soon as possible. To do this, based on the severity of the disease and your availability, your therapist might want to schedule regular visits to see how you are progressing.
To ease things, you can agree with your therapist the best day and time for your sessions.
In conclusion
Occupational therapy is one modality of care for ankylosing spondylitis. Medications can help to reduce pain and inflammation. However, occupational therapy prevents injury, enhances functionality, and enables you to live a better quality of life. With the techniques learned during your sessions, you can maintain your independence as you continue aging.
Article Resources
- Stein, M. S. Rice, and S. K. Cutler, “Selecting a test instrument,” Clinical Research in Occupational Therapy, M. Bellegarde, Ed., Delmar, Cengage Learning, United States of America, USA, 1st ed edition, 2013.
- C. Doward, A. Spoorenberg, S. A. Cook et al., “Development of the ASQoL: a quality of life instrument specific to ankylosing spondylitis,” Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 20–26, 2003.
- K. Anderson, L. Zimmerman, L. Caplan, and K. Michaud, “Measures of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity: Patient (PtGA) and Provider (PrGA) Global Assessment of Disease Activity, Disease Activity Score (DAS) and Disease Activity Score With 28-Joint Counts (DAS28), Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), Cl,” Arthritis Care & Research, vol. 63, no. S11, pp. S14–S36, 2011.
Mayo Clinic staff. (2018). Ankylosing spondylitis: Diagnosis and treatment.
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354813