Pain in the AS
I've had ankylosing spondylitis for 20 years. I was diagnosed after a year of being told it was probably a muscle strain. I know what the first appointment felt like, and I know what year five felt like.
This site is what I wish had existed when I was diagnosed — honest, practical, and written by someone who actually lives with it.
Start with the free checklist below — it's the first thing I'd give any newly diagnosed person.
Get the AS Diagnosis Red Flags ChecklistWhere would you like to start?
Newly Diagnosed
Just got a diagnosis? Start here — what to expect and what actually matters in the first year.
Living with AS
Guides on treatment, exercise, work, relationships, and everything in between.
Find a Topic
Browse by topic — from biologics to morning routines to navigating the system.
Is This AS?
Not sure if your symptoms sound like AS? Take a short quiz — no diagnosis, just a nudge to talk to your GP.
Join the newsletter
Real talk about living with AS — from someone who has had it for 20 years.
Recent guides
Most AS patients spent years being told their pain was not serious before getting a correct diagnosis. This guide is about how to break through that — what to say, what to ask for, and how to escalate when you are not being heard.
Planning a pregnancy with AS requires more advance preparation than most people realise — some medications need to stop months before conceiving. Here is the practical guide to AS and pregnancy, covering what to expect before, during, and after.
AS is an invisible illness. You often look completely fine while feeling terrible. Explaining that gap — to partners, family, friends, colleagues — is one of the harder ongoing tasks of living with this disease.
Getting diagnosed with a chronic condition in your twenties is different from getting diagnosed at fifty. Your identity is still forming. Your career is just starting. Your social world revolves around things your body may struggle with. This is for you.
Women wait an average of 11.2 years for an AS diagnosis — more than double the time men wait. This is not bad luck. It is a systemic failure with specific, identifiable mechanisms. Here is why it happens and what women can do about it.
Diet is the most-discussed non-medication topic in AS communities. The gut-AS connection is real and scientifically grounded. Here is what the evidence shows, what patients report, and how to approach dietary changes without false hope or cynicism.
AS Diagnosis Red Flags Checklist
The list of symptoms and patterns that point toward AS — the ones doctors often miss in the first few years. Enter your email and I'll send it to you.