Which feature makes ankylosing spondylitis more likely?

Which feature makes ankylosing spondylitis more likely?

• A. Improvement with exercise and activity
• B. Pain worsens with exercise
• C. No improvement with NSAIDs
• D. Pain relieved by rest

Answer: (A)

Ankylosing spondylitis presents with inflammatory back pain, which classically improves with movement and exercise. This pattern helps distinguish it from mechanical back pain, where symptoms typically worsen with activity and improve with rest. Therefore, pain that gets better with exercise and activity points toward AS. The other options describe noninflammatory or mechanical patterns: pain that worsens with exercise suggests a mechanical process, and lacking improvement with NSAIDs or pain relief from rest does not fit the inflammatory profile of AS.

Ankylosing spondylitis presents with inflammatory back pain, which classically improves with movement and exercise. This pattern helps distinguish it from mechanical back pain, where symptoms typically worsen with activity and improve with rest. Therefore, pain that gets better with exercise and activity points toward AS. The other options describe noninflammatory or mechanical patterns: pain that worsens with exercise suggests a mechanical process, and lacking improvement with NSAIDs or pain relief from rest does not fit the inflammatory profile of AS.