Ankylosing Spondylitis
Treatment – Kati Vasti
Name of Medical Problem: Ankylosing spondylitis
Ayurveda Term: Aamvata
Background and Description:
A 32-year-old young biomedical researcher woman came with severe pain and stiffness all over the body and extreme tiredness which made it difficult to care for her young baby.
She was offered physiotherapy and underwent treatment in the local NHS rheumatology clinic and was treated with DMARDs (Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatoid Drugs) over a few months. As this did not help her much and the pain became extremely unbearable, she came to us seeking an alternative solution to her problem.
Signs and Symptoms:
Pain: Sharp pain in all the joints especially in the low back, wrists, and fingers (9/10 on VAS)
Movements: Severely restricted especially in hands and wrists.
Investigations: MRI- showed some early spinal fusion. Blood tests showed RA factor positive and genetic testing confirmed the presence of the HLA-B27 gene.
Ayurveda Treatments:
The treatment approach for this patient included a combination of internal and external treatments.
Internal Treatment:
- Sinhanad Guggul- 2 tablets twice a day before meals.
- Maharasnadi Kashaya Tablets – 2 tablets with warm water twice a day
- Kokilaksha Kashaya- 20ml + 40ml warm water- twice a day after meals.
External Treatments:
- Full body massage with pottali and kati vasti x 10 days
- Vaitarana Basti x 16 days
Results:
Massage and Kati vasthi helped significantly with reducing her stiffness making her able to do her daily chores with ease. The Vaitarana Basti that followed afterward helped make the changes more stable with further improvements in her pain and range of movements. By end of bastis, her pain was 90% gone and there was no stiffness in the joints at all.
She was followed in the clinic for another 3 months and was discharged with Yoga postures and a diet plan.