Best Exercises for Ankylosing Spondylitis

Press Up to Stretch Your Spine

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can shorten the spine and muscles in your back. Stretch with this move to help "rounded" back and back pain.
Lie on your stomach with your legs behind you. Slowly prop yourself up on your elbows, so your chest is off the ground. If you’re able, straighten your arms. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times.
Do this move once a day.

Wall Sit for Better Posture

Stand with your back against a wall. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, and away from the wall. Slowly slide your back down the wall. It may take time, but work towards being able to get to the point where your thighs are parallel with the floor -- like you're sitting in a chair. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Hold for longer as you get stronger.
Repeat 3-5 times. Do 3 to 5 times a week.
Exercising muscles that AS affects -- in your back, shoulders, neck, butt, and hips -- can help you move more easily.

Plank for a Stronger Core

To make sure you're strong enough for this exercise, start in a standing position with your feet flat on the floor and your forearms on the kitchen counter. 
Once you can do that fairly easily, move on to the harder version. Your stomach, back, and butt muscles help your posture. Work them with this move -- no crunches needed! Kneel on a mat. Put your forearms on the ground. Push your legs out behind you and balance on your toes. Squeeze your stomach and butt muscles to hold your body in a straight line. Don't crane your head up or let it hang down. Keep your neck in line with your spine. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times. Add more time as you become stronger. Always keep your core tight. Do this 3 to 5 times a week.

Try Standing Leg Raises to Loosen Tight Hips

Hold the back of a chair or railing. Keep your back straight with a slight bend in your knees. Slowly lift one leg out to the side so it's a few inches off the ground. Then lower it back to the starting position.
Next, kick the same leg straight behind you to 45 degrees. Remember to keep good posture. Avoid bending over at the waist. Repeat 10 to 15 times on each leg.
Do this move 3 to 5 times a week.

Do Chin Tucks to Stretch Your Neck

AS can make you lean forward. That can cause your neck to get tight and give you headaches. This move can strengthen your neck to keep you upright and relieve tightness.
Lie on your back. Without lifting your head off the floor, tuck your chin in slightly toward your chest. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
Do this stretch twice a day.
Uncomfortable? Try a small, rolled-up towel under your neck for support.

Roll Your Shoulders to Loosen Up

Stand or sit up tall. Keep your spine as straight as you're comfortably able to. Gently shrug your shoulders up toward your ears, then move your shoulders back and down. You can feel this in your upper back. Think about pulling your shoulder blades together and down in a rolling motion. Then pull your shoulders back up toward your ears. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
Do this stretch daily.

Stretch Your Hips to Ease Low Back Pain

This lengthens the muscles at the front of your hips. They connect to your lower back.
Take a big step forward. Sink into a lunge: Move your back knee down and rest it on the ground. Keep your back upright. Be mindful not to bend forward at the hips. You should feel this stretch in your back leg (the one that is resting on the ground). You'll feel it on the front of the thigh and hip.
To get a deeper stretch, gently push both your hips forward. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Repeat with your other leg. Hold a chair for balance if needed.

Corner Stretch to Open Your Chest

Find a corner and stand facing it. Raise your arms up. Rest the palms of your hands on the walls. Gently press your chest toward the corner. Your arms will provide tension. You'll feel the stretch across the front of your chest. Along your back, you'll feel your shoulder blades move toward each other. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
Do this stretch daily.

Walk, Move

Exercise can ease pain and inflammation. When you boost your heart rate, it also makes feel-good chemicals in your body. Any exercise is great. But you get a bonus from doing weight-bearing exercise -- when your joints have to support your weight, like when you walk instead of swim. It helps "feed" the cartilage in your joints and spine. Get your heart pumping most days of the week. Start with 5 to 10 minutes a day. Try to work up to 30 minutes or more. It’s OK to do 5 to 10 minutes at a time, a few times a day. It adds up!

Take Deep Breaths

Many people with AS eventually notice that they have trouble fully expanding their ribs and chest while they breathe. But deep-breathing exercises can help prevent this problem.
Several times a day, take 3 to 4 deep breaths. Focus on pulling air deep into your chest as you inhale. Then, exhale slowly.


 

More Benefits

Take your dog for a half-hour walk, and you may burn about:

• Correct! You answered: 100 calories

Everyone burns calories at a different rate -- this number is for someone who weighs 150 pounds. But the idea is the same: Give in to the pooch with the pleading eyes, and you can torch some calories.

To boost your mood, try taking a walk in:

• Incorrect! You answered: A shopping mall near your house
• Correct Answer: A leafy, natural area

Scientists at Stanford University asked people to walk 90 minutes in either a woodsy area or an urban one. Those who strolled in nature had less activity in an area of the brain linked to depression. That supports earlier studies that showed that people who live in cities tend to have more mental health issues, like anxiety and mood disorders, than people who live in the country.

 

Exercise like walking lowers your risk of breast cancer because it:

• Correct! You answered: Lowers the estrogen in your bloodstream

Women who are active are 30% to 40% less likely to get breast cancer. Women and men who walk briskly or do other physical activities regularly are also much less likely than others to have colon cancer. To cut your cancer risk, try to walk at least 30 minutes almost every day.

Walking is good for people who have type-2 diabetes because:

• Incorrect! You answered: It lowers blood sugar levels
• Correct Answer: All the above

Exercise helps the hormone insulin get sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells, where it can be used for energy. That can lower your risk of complications from diabetes, like nerve damage and kidney disease. A 10-minute walk after each meal is enough to do the trick.

 

If you have arthritis, you should:

• Correct! You answered: Walk regularly for exercise

Got achy, creaky knees or hips? You have good reason to get walking then. For starters, your joint fluid moves around when you do, and that gets oxygen and nutrients to your joints and cartilage and helps prevent friction. It also strengthens your leg and core muscles. When your muscles do more of the work, your joints hurt less. A regular walk may also help you slim down, and a thinner body means less pressure on your joints.

If you have back pain, you should:

• Incorrect! You answered: Stay in bed and rest until you feel better
• Correct Answer: Walk 20 to 40 minutes two or three times a week

Most doctors recommend physical therapy for people who have chronic lower back pain. While that can help, walking can be just as effective. And it’s free and a great stress reliever -- and you can do it anytime without a referral from your doctor.

Walking is good for your bones because it's:

• Correct! You answered: Weight-bearing exercise

Activities that make you bear the weight of your own body against gravity are important because they stress your bones, and that leads them to make more cells and become more solid. Other exercises that are good for your bones include high-impact activities, like jumping rope; stretching; and strength training with weights. Talk to your doctor about what's best and safe for you.

Benefits of Walking

Research shows you're likely to live longer if you walk at least:

• Correct! You answered: 5.5 miles per week
  
   

Walking this much at a slow pace of 2 miles per hour can be enough to lower your risk of things like heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure by 31%. People who walked farther and faster got even more benefit, in case you needed some extra motivation.

Women who walk 30 minutes a day may cut their risk of stroke by:

• Correct! You answered: 20% - 40%

Just a little can do wonders to help your blood move through your body the way it should. Any time you can spend walking is good, but push yourself a little: Getting your heart rate up can strengthen it and lower your blood pressure.

• Fitness & Exercise

Do You Know the Benefits of Walking?

4/13

Brisk walking counts as cardio exercise.

• Correct! You answered: True

Ideally, you should log at least 150 minutes of exercise that raises your heart rate every week. Walking can definitely count toward this goal. You don’t need any special equipment (except a decent pair of shoes), and you can do it practically anywhere. But to get cardio credit, you have to do more than stroll to the fridge and back. If you can belt out a song, you need to pick up the pace.

If you walk 10,000 steps, you've gone about:

• Incorrect! You answered: 1 mile
• Correct Answer: 5 miles

This is a good goal for overall health. If you can’t quite make that, any walking you do helps. You can work your way up slowly: Use a pedometer to count your steps, and try to kick it up by at least 500 each week.

Walking is as good for your heart as running.

• Correct! You answered: True, if you do enough of it

For years, many experts thought that really pushing yourself -- and your heart rate -- was the best way to strengthen your heart. But it turns out that brisk walking is just as good when it comes to cutting your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes -- as long as you do about twice as much of it.