Ankylosing Spondylitis

Glossary: Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosis: Fixation of a joint, often in an abnormal position, such as occurs in rheumatoid arthritis (from the Greek word agkylosis meaning bent condition)

Arthritis: Inflammation of joint (from the Greek word arthron meaning joint and itis, a suffix meaning inflammation of an organ or structure)

Enthesitis: Inflammation where tendons insert into bone

Ilium: The large, wing-like bones of the pelvis

Kyphosis: An exaggerated, forward curve of the thoracic spine. (From the Greek work kyphos meaning hunchbacked)

Ligaments: The slightly elastic bands of tissue that bind the joints together and connect various bones and cartilage

Plantar fasciitis: Inflammation of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot.

Psoriatic arthritis: A form of arthritis associated with scaly skin lesions (psoriasis), especially on the fingers and toes

Reactive arthritis (formerly called Reiter’s syndrome): An arthritic disorder that often affects several joints in the legs such as knees, the feet, ankles, and sacroiliac joint following a triggering intestinal or genital infection

Rheumatism: Pain and limitation of movement of the musculoskeletal system such as may occur in gout, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and many other diseases (from the Greek wordrheumatismos meaning that which flows)

Sacroiliac joints: The joints that connect the sacrum (the wedge-shaped bone at the bottom of the spine) to the pelvic bones

Sacrum: The wedge-shaped bone between the two wing-like pelvic bones

Tendinitis: An inflammation of a tendon, the tissue that attaches muscle to bone

Tendons: The fibrous bands of tissue that attach muscle to bone