Building a social support group and using items like shoehorns, electric kitchen tools, foam pillows, standing desks, and handrails can help you manage ankylosing spondylitis at home.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic condition that causes inflammation, stiffness, and pain in your back.
This could reduce your mobility and affect your daily activities, such as walking, driving, and getting dressed.
However, you can make some changes to your lifestyle and home to help you manage your symptoms and prevent disease progression.
Here are 10 simple ways to help you manage ankylosing spondylitis at home.
Relaxing can help you relieve feelings of stress and anxiety, which are associated with ankylosing spondylitis and may even trigger symptoms.
It can be difficult to relax at home if you’re surrounded by noise and clutter.
You can try to mimic a relaxing space you’ve been to in your own home, such as a whole room, a part of your bedroom, or somewhere outside.
Make this area your own and come to it every day, even if it’s only for 5 minutes at a time. It should offer somewhere to sit and destress. This may include:
- diffusing essential oils
- playing soft music
- having a dedicated space to meditate, practice yoga, or write in a journal
Eating a well-balanced, anti-inflammatory diet may play a role in managing your symptoms. It could also help you manage your weight if a healthcare professional has advised this to relieve unwanted pressure on your joints.
The National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society in the United Kingdom recommends eating a balanced diet of:
- fruits and vegetables
- animal and plant-based proteins
- whole grains
- foods rich in calcium and omega-3 fatty acids
However, the foods you eat are only one part of the puzzle. It’s also important to have easy access to these foods, as ankylosing spondylitis may affect your range of motion and ability.
Some ways to help you do this include:
- precutting fruits and vegetables and placing them at eye level in the fridge
- keeping heavier items in your pantry or fridge at torso level rather than low down
- using containers that are easy to open
- prepping single-size servings of food for yourself at the beginning of each week
The Arthritis Foundation also recommends using assistive devices to help make tasks more manageable in the kitchen. These may include:
- electric can openers and food processors
- cutlery with bigger handles
- long “grabbing tools” to get things in high or low areas
If you’re typically in charge of cooking meals for yourself or family members, consider asking others to help you cook.
If you’re living with chronic pain, stiffness, and fatigue, even simple tasks like washing fresh veggies can become difficult.
Over time, cooking with someone else can also become a bonding experience. Maintaining social relationships is important, especially for people living with ankylosing spondylitis.
Sitting at a desk for long periods may contribute to or worsen your back pain and stiffness. Sitting for short periods may provide short-term comfort, but it places pressure on the joints in your lower back and hips.
Some 2020 research suggests that using a standing desk may help relieve upper and lower back pain, fatigue, and overall pain. However, it’s important to note that standing all day may also increase pain and stiffness.
Consider getting a desk that can rise and lower down so you can alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day.
Many types of cushions are available to help support your lower back, spine, and hips when you’re sitting.
A 2023 study suggests that using foam pillows when you sit down could help reduce lower back pain and improve lumbar mobility.
What’s more, a dynamic pillow can also help you by shifting your posture throughout the day, taking pressure off your lower back and hips, and strengthening your core.
If you don’t have access to a pillow, try using a couple of folded towels to help relieve the pressure on your joints.
An everyday task like putting on and removing your shoes can become more difficult when you have ankylosing spondylitis.
The Arthritis Foundation recommends using a shoe horn with a long handle to help with this. These devices relieve pressure on your hips and lower back joints because you don’t have to bend over to use them.
You can find shoe horns of various sizes at your local drugstore.
Reaching aids help you grab objects you might otherwise need to stretch to reach. They are usually long tools with a clamping-like mechanism at the bottom, which you activate with a gripping mechanism at the hand.
These types of mobility devices can help you stay active around the house without assistance. More importantly, they can help relieve the strain on the joints in your back so your pain and swelling don’t worsen.
Reaching aids can be found at drugstores and medical supply stores, and they come in a range of lengths.
Getting up and down from the toilet or bathtub can become difficult. Squatting and lifting when you have ankylosing spondylitis can be painful and puts extra strain on your joints.
Installing handrails and bars in the bathroom can help you manage these tasks more easily.
Consider placing them in the shower, bathtub, and beside the toilet.
Advances in technology, such as home appliances, have changed how people work and play. Many of these can help with the daily challenges of ankylosing spondylitis.
Some examples may include:
- self-moving vacuums and lawnmowers
- kitchen appliances, such as chopping devices, food processors, and electric can openers
- phone-controlled lights, air conditioning, and heating
Speak with a healthcare professional about how you can use technology to help manage ankylosing spondylitis.
Although many devices can help your mobility and reduce the strain on your lower back and joints, they can’t help you accomplish everything.
Consider speaking with a family member, friend, or neighbor about whether they can help you with household chores. You can ask them to help you with activities that require a lot of bending, lifting, and moving.
You can also speak with a healthcare professional about getting support from a caretaker in your community. A caretaker could help you with various tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, driving, and so on.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory condition that could make household tasks like cleaning, cooking, and putting on your shoes more difficult.
Making some modifications to your living space and using assistive devices, such as shoehorns, rails, and electric kitchen appliances, can help you relieve symptoms and improve your quality of life.