lelia wrote:
Hello,
What can you recommend for my wonderful 27 yr old aspie who programs video games and has just been diagnosed with akylosing spondylitis?
He lives with my oldest son's family in Kirkland and both of them work for game companies in Bellevue, Washington.
with ankylosing spondylitis, you need to keep moving to keep the joints in the spine mobile, so stretching is important. if he's programming video games he needs to get up regularly to stretch, and if it's possible, try to get one of those exercise balls to use as a chair. (when sitting on those balls, the proprioceptors in our body are constantly monitoring and adjusting our position in space, so micro-muscle movements occur to keep us steady.)
as far as massage goes, a CMT could definately help with assisted stretching for joint mobility, relaxation (stress will always make flares more severe.) when he's having a flare, swedish massage or deep tissue is not the best idea: but if you can find someone who does lymphatic drainage massage, it will help clear out the debris and junk in the inflammed areas to bring down the recovery time.
and to everyone else: thanks for the replies. looking forward to posting with you.