Abstract

Kripa M. Shah*, Shrikant G. Deshmukh and Naresh Nimbalkar

ABSTRACT

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic disease with various skeletal and extra skeletal manifestations which belongs to a group of rheumatic diseases known as the spondylo arthropathies (SpA), which show a strong association with the genetic marker HLA-B27. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease which affects primarily sacro- iliac joints and spine Inflammatory back pain and stiffness are prominent early in the disease, whereas chronic, aggressive disease may produce pain and marked axial immobility or deformity. From the Ayurvedic perspective, the disease can fall under Asthi majjagata vata, which may be effectively managed when intervention is started in its early stages. No satisfactory treatment is available in modern medicine for this disorder. Various Panchakarma procedures and Ayurvedic drugs have been proved useful for these manifestations. We present a case of AS, which was treated for two months with a combination of Panchakarma procedures and Ayurvedic drugs. Ayurvedic treatments, in this case, were directed toward alleviating symptoms and to reduce severe disability. The patient was considered suffering from Asthimajja gata vata.