Count the full period of ongoing or recurring symptoms.
Ankylosing spondylitis · Self-check
Could your back pain be inflammatory?
Check for an inflammatory back-pain pattern associated with axial spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis. The five-feature count is not a diagnosis or a measure of disease severity.
Use your age when symptoms started, not your age today.
Five inflammatory back-pain features0 / 5 answered
Tell your doctor if you also have
- Pain that switches between the left and right buttock
- Heel or tendon-attachment pain, swollen joints, or a whole swollen finger or toe
- Previous uveitis (eye inflammation), psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease
- A family history of spondyloarthritis or related conditions
- A strong response to an anti-inflammatory medicine already prescribed for you
- An existing positive HLA-B27 test, raised CRP/ESR or sacroiliac inflammation on imaging
Do not try medicines or arrange tests just to answer this checklist.
What a clinician may consider
- Examination of spinal movement, chest expansion, joints and tendon attachments
- ESR and CRP blood tests for inflammation
- HLA-B27 testing when it may help clarify the diagnosis
- An X-ray of the sacroiliac joints
- MRI when X-rays do not explain the symptoms and suspicion remains
Normal inflammation tests, a negative HLA-B27 result or a normal X-ray cannot exclude axial spondyloarthritis on their own.
Urgent eye symptoms: a painful red eye with light sensitivity or blurred vision needs same-day eye assessment. Do not wait for a routine clinic appointment.
Clinical references: ASAS inflammatory back-pain and referral guidance; NICE NG65 assessment guidance. This educational check cannot confirm or exclude a diagnosis.