Is TCM effective in treating ankylosing spondylitis?

Ankylosing spondylitis is a serious disease. The initial symptoms are not obvious, but as the disease progresses, limited movement and spinal stiffness begin to appear. If it is not controlled and treated, joint deformities may occur, severe cases may lead to loss of productivity, and life is endangered. So is the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine obvious?

1. Kidney deficiency, cold-dampness and arthralgia syndrome (mostly seen in the early stages of ankylosing spondylitis):

Symptoms include migratory joint pain (most commonly in the lower limb joints) at the onset, which gradually spreads to lumbar and sacral pain, accompanied by soreness and heaviness in the waist, back and limbs, or stiffness and pain in the waist and back in the morning, difficulty in movement, pain relief after movement, and worsening on rainy days. The tongue coating is thin white or greasy white, and the pulse is deep, stringy or soft and slow. The treatment method is: tonify the kidney, benefit the Du meridian, dispel cold and dredge the meridians.

2. Liver-kidney yin deficiency, damp-heat obstruction syndrome (mostly seen in the active stage of ankylosing spondylitis):

Symptoms include pain in the waist and back, stiffness and discomfort in the morning, limited movement, heat to the touch of the affected skin, worsening pain at night, difficulty turning over, or accompanied by low fever, preference for keeping limbs outside the quilt at night, bitter taste in the mouth and thirst without desire to drink, constipation and dark urine, red tongue with yellow and greasy coating, and slippery and rapid pulse. The treatment method is: nourishing the liver and kidneys, clearing away heat and detoxifying, eliminating dampness and dredging the meridians.

3. Liver and kidney deficiency, phlegm and blood stasis syndrome (mostly seen in the remission period of ankylosing spondylitis):

Symptoms include pain in the lumbar spine and back, stiffness and deformity of the neck and back, difficulty in pitching, stretching and turning, limited movement, chest tightness, accompanied by dizziness and tinnitus, low-grade fever or chills and cold limbs, dull complexion, dark purple lips and tongue, greasy white or yellow tongue coating, and thin and smooth pulse. The treatment method is: nourishing the liver and kidneys, resolving phlegm, removing blood stasis and unblocking the meridians.

When it comes to the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis, many people also trust Chinese medicine's manipulation, acupressure and Chinese medicine. However, patients should be reminded that these methods are actually physical methods and cannot cure the disease. Only by going to a regular medical institution and using effective treatment methods can the disease be completely cured.