John Gunther-Ankylosing spondylitis(Indonesia) Post on September 27, 2011

Name: John Gunther   
Sex: Male
Country: Indonesia
Age: 35
Diagnosis: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
Admission Date: 2011-08-18
Days Admitted to the Hospital: 29

John developed bilateral sacroiliac joint pain, without an obvious cause, 20 years ago. He also had limited movement ability, stiffness and pain in the neck and lower back. As a result of these symptoms, John went to his local hospital and was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. He received treatment to alleviate the pain and other symptoms but there was not much improvement. John developed kyphosis about 7 years ago and the symptoms of neck and back pain continued to worsen along with an increase of coughing and chest pain. There was pain throughout the body whenever he changed positions. There was a noticeable decrease in physical endurance and activity levels. John would get fatigued quickly after only a few minutes of walking, and he also experienced pain.

At the time of John's admission examination, he was experiencing obvious pain in his chest when he coughed. The turning ability of the shoulders had declined noticeably. There was severe pain in the neck and muscles of both shoulders when he turned to either side. The distance between the mandible and sternum was 10 cms when he lowered his head. The kyphosis caused a curvature angle of about 15 degrees, and he could not bend down at all. John was unable to sit up from a lying position independently. He needed some assistance and felt obvious pain when he tried to sit up. He couldn't stretch his legs while in the sitting position, and the waist and hip joints had obvious pain. The right leg couldn't be raised very high because of the pain and the furthest the left leg could be raised was to a 60 degree angle. The hip joints were causing obvious pain during the Patrick's test. John walked slowly, and his posture was rigid and generally arching. There was no swinging movement of the arms.

After the physical examination, John received treatment to improve the blood circulation in order to increase the blood supply to the damaged neurons. He also received treatment to nourish the nerves, anticoagulants, protection for the gastric mucosa and anti-immune treatment. This was combined with physical rehabilitation training.

After the completion of the stem cell treatment, John's chest pain disappeared when he coughs. The turning range of the shoulders had increased from before. The pain in the neck, back and both shoulders had decreased when he turns from side to side. The distance between the mandible and sternum was 7 cms when he lowers his head. The kyphosis is not as severe as before. The bending range has increased and has reached an angle of 30 degrees. John can now sit up from a lying position independently. The pain sensation throughout the body has disappeared. The legs can now stretch out in the sitting position. The pain in the lower back area and hip joints has been alleviated. Both legs can be raised to a greater angle, to more than 135 degrees. There is no longer any pain in the left hip joint when he straightens his left leg out and raises it. During the Patrick's test, it is obvious that the pain sensation in the left hip joint has disappeared. There is still a small amount of pain and a pulling sensation in the right hip joint. The walking speed is faster and when John walks he no longer feels pain throughout his body and his arms swing naturally.