Putlighar, GT Road, AmritsarPatient education and specialist assessment
Amritsar Pain Spine
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Patient pagesTrigeminal neuralgiaAnkylosing spondylitisRheumatoid arthritis

Patient self-check

Could your back pain be inflammatory?

Ankylosing spondylitis often begins with a distinctive pattern of back or buttock pain. Answer these questions to understand whether a rheumatology assessment may be helpful.

First check

Has the back or buttock pain lasted for at least three months?

Second check

Did the back or buttock pain begin before the age of 45?

Inflammatory back-pain features0/5 answered
1

Did the back or buttock pain begin before the age of 40?

2

Did the pain start gradually rather than after a specific injury?

3

Does movement or exercise improve the pain?

4

Does rest fail to provide clear relief?

5

Does the pain wake you at night and improve after getting up?

Tell your doctor if you also have

Supporting clues

  • Alternating pain in the right and left buttock
  • Heel pain or tenderness where a tendon joins the bone
  • A painful red, light-sensitive eye or previous uveitis
  • Psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, or swollen joints
  • A close family member with ankylosing spondylitis or related arthritis
  • Marked improvement within 24–48 hours of an anti-inflammatory medicine

Urgent eye symptom: A painful red eye with light sensitivity or blurred vision needs prompt medical assessment.

What a clinician may consider

Examination and tests

  • Spinal movement, chest expansion, joints and tendon insertions
  • CRP and ESR inflammation tests
  • HLA-B27 blood test when clinically appropriate
  • X-ray of the sacroiliac joints
  • MRI of the sacroiliac joints when an X-ray is normal or unclear

A normal CRP, ESR, X-ray or negative HLA-B27 result does not by itself exclude axial spondyloarthritis.