Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Clinical Experience In Rehabilitation Of Ankylosing Spondylitis Associated With Spinal Cord Injury, Li-Chen Tung, Chih-Hsiang Ho, Liu-Ing Bih

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton. Spinal ankylosis reduces vertebral flexibility, exacerbates osteoporotic change, and leads to a loss of the biomechanical function of the spine. Thus, even small impacts might cause vertebral fracture or damage of the spinal cord in the patients with ankylosing spondylitis.This retrospective study included 11 patients with ankylosing spondylitis who were admitted to a hos-pital between 1991 and 1999 for rehabilitative service after spinal cord injury. Of these patients, 10 were male, and one female. Average age was 46.3 ± 14.3 years. Falls accounted for injuries in six patients, traffic accidents …