What Is Ankylosing Spondylitis? How Can It Affect You And What Can You Do About It in Hamilton?

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a kind of arthritis that leads people to suffer from inflammation in their joints. People with such pain or disease experience inflammation in the lower spine area. Moreover, people who suffer from AS experience pain or stiffness in the following areas: Lower back, hips, and buttocks. In addition, a wide range of treatment options are available for people to treat AS. Nonetheless, treatment options for AS do not come without side effects. We are going to have a look at those treatment options and also tell how a compounding pharmacy in Hamilton can help people with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Treatment Medications for Ankylosing Spondylitis  

• NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs): Often, the first opinion for treating Ankylosing Spondylitis is NSAIDs, like Ibuprofen, Aspirin, etc. NSAIDs cannot only get rid of pain and mitigate inflammation in the spine and other body parts. But also help people remain active and engage in workouts. Nevertheless, these drugs can cause side effects, like ulcers and stomach bleeding. Thus, it is best that AS sufferers take NSAIDs when doctors advise them.
• TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) Inhibitors: If NSAIDs do not benefit patients with AS, doctors recommend people a TNF Inhibitor. Besides, the FDA has approved five TNF inhibitors. Humira and Simponi, to name a few. TNF Inhibitors target TNF in the blood of AS sufferers, which encourages inflammation. Further, patients have to take TNF inhibitors as an injection under their skin or through intravenous therapy. Nevertheless, TNF Inhibitors do not also come without side effects, like burning or itching. Plus, these drugs also enhance the risk of infections for AS sufferers.
• Steroids: If an AS patient experiences severe pain in the hips or knees, a doctor gives a  shot of steroids into the affected area. Steroid injections have the potential to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Moreover, one of the complications of AS is the eye inflammation, which can even cause blindness or loss of vision. Doctors prescribe steroid drops when AS patients experience eye inflammation.

How Can a Compounding Pharmacy in Hamilton Help People with AS? 

Now, you know that AS sufferers may need to take different medications for treatments. Further, most of those medications can also trigger side effects. It is where a compounding pharmacy can help AS patients. Compound pharmacists in a compounding pharmacy in Hamilton can formulate compounded pain creams for AS patients with various ingredients, including NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, nerve agents, etc. Further, AS patients only need to apply compounded pain creams on the area of their pain. Put differently, they do not need to take medications orally. For the same reason, compounded pain creams are highly effective as they target the exact area where AS sufferers experience pain.

Advantages of Deploying a Pain Medication Topically 

The following are the noticeable advantages of deploying topical pain compounds for pain relief:

1. It offers instant and targeted pain relief.
2. Plus, they do not trigger any gastronomical side effects in users as they bypass the digestive system.
3. Moreover, they do not also affect the function of the kidney or liver, unlike some oral pain medications.

Physical Therapy as a Treatment for Ankylosing Spondylitis 

Physical therapists can teach AS patients some exercises to strengthen their muscles and improve their flexibility. Exercises that physiotherapists can teach patients can help AS sufferers ameliorate their posture. It can benefit patients without putting much pressure on their spine and avoiding the irritating symptoms of AS.  

Heat and Cold Therapy for Ankylosing Spondylitis 

Heat and cold therapy can help relieve joint stiffness and swelling plus acute pain, respectively that AS sufferers suffer. Further, AS sufferers should only apply heat and cold therapy for ten to fifteen minutes only. In addition, it is imperative to stay away from something extremely hot or cold on the skin to evade a burn. 

Conclusion

People with Ankylosing Spondylitis experience inflammation in their joints. Treatment medications for AS include NSAIDs, TNF Inhibitors, and Steroids. Nevertheless, the medications that doctors typically recommend to patients with AS also trigger some side effects. Moreover, AS sufferers who experience side effects with their medications may get in touch with a compounding pharmacy in Hamilton to get a compounded pain cream for pain relief. Applying a compounding pain cream on the area of the pain does not trigger any side effects. Lastly, a few other treatment options for AS include physical therapy, heat therapy, and cold therapy.