Newly diagnosed...chest stiffness - what does it mean?

Jtaylor139
Jtaylor139 Member Posts: 2
edited 2. Jul 2018, 14:49 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi, I have just been diagnosed with AS after having had an MRI. The scan didn't show any active inflammation but showed there had been some in the right SI joint with some osteoporosis on the thoracolumbar area of the spine. Today the doctor at the hospital did some different measurements and said I had limited movement and stiffness in my chest, neck and hips. How does this happen, particularly in my chest, when the MRI doesn't show it ever having been inflamed?

Many thanks :)

Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi and welcome.

    I'm just a patient (RA not AS) not a medic of any kind but I'm pretty sure it's because, in the words of the old song 'Your knee bone's connected to your thigh bone. Your thigh bone's connected to your hip bone......' etc etc. The ribs connect both back and front to spine and breast bone so I guess, if your spinal movement is limited, so will your chest movement be.

    Here are a couple of useful bits of reading on AS, one from the very reliable ARUK site and the other from our equally reliable Arthritis Care.

    https://tinyurl.com/ya6sltyk

    https://tinyurl.com/yc2lygs3
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