NASS guide to managing axial SpA flares

Hi everyone! I hope you all had great weekend. Just a quick update today to say that excitingly, the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS – previously, the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society, see previous blog post for details regarding the change in terminology, to include non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis https://projectnightingaleorg.wpcomstaging.com/2019/10/17/axial-spondyloarthritis-what-is-axspa-and-how-does-it-relate-to-ankylosing-spondylitis/) have now released their downloadable PDF self-management guide to managing flares in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA/ axial SpA).

The guide can be accessed and downloaded for free here: https://nass.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Managing-my-axial-SpA-AS-flares.pdf .

It was developed with input from the brilliant Emily Clarke – specialist physiotherapist here at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, and includes 24-pages worth of practical information, guidance and encouragement to help you understand and manage your symptoms.

Within these 24-pages, there is space for you to make notes of things that have specifically helped you in the past, or information you can discuss with your physiotherapist, rheumatologist or GP; for example notes of simple stretches you can do in bed in the morning to gently get yourself moving and ways that you can safely increase your medications during a flare.

There are also useful pages describing tips for during a flare, for example, breathing exercises you can do to help you relax and hopefully reduce stress levels, in addition to suggestions such as taking a warm shower or bath.

As always, excellent work from NASS. It is great to see more resources being released to help with self-management! Are you going to be using the guides? Please let us know if you have tested them out and ways they have been useful – as always, we would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and have a great week folks!