My doctor didn't bother with x-rays at first. I came in barely able to walk standing straight up, did a history, touched my lower back (which was on fire) and sent me for bloodwork. After my labs came back he did the MRI and X-Ray stuff. When I sat down in his office he said to me "Your X-Rays look unremarkable but about right for someone sitting in my office". Well I took that wrong and spent 3 months upset that he was saying there was nothing wrong with me. Finally I asked him about it and he laughed and said "You ARE in a rheumatologist's office. What did you think I meant?" He explained to me that sometimes diagnosing by symptoms and using your brain are better then tests and scans. I found out later that his wife has AS - tested negative for nearly everything for years but was in terrible pain. As for blood work - with all the meds I take my levels are low so he said we just play the game of keeping me healthy and functional as long as possible.

It may never show up, may come quickly or slowly.  Every body is different and there are reports of people with diagnosed AS and no fusion.

My son has had persisting back pain for two and a half years. Blood tests showed raised monocytes, Raised C-reactive protein and HLA27 positive. He suffers from what appears to be irritable bowel and frequent and troublesome mouth ulcers. X-ray and MRI are negative for AS  so he is now at a loss to know where to go next. The Rheumatologist was rude and dismissive and told him he hasn't got 'it'. Could this set of symptoms be something else? Do all AS sufferers have mri evidence or can it take a while to show up? Anti inflammatory meds cause him lots of painful abdo problems. He is 22 and living in the UK. Can anyone help please?

On my journey to find a diagnosis, I decided to see an orthopaedic surgeon that my husband had consulted with a few years prior.  He was very surprised that with all my "very expensive" testing by a neurologist, they had never taken some $10 x-rays of my hips.  As soon as he looked at them, he said he believed I had AS but would need to see a rheumy for an official diagnosis.  At that time, the rheumy told me that it takes around 10 years for AS to start showing up in x-rays.  He's been around a long time and is very well respected in his field, so I believe him.

I was diagnosed with help from my xray results.  I went to the doctor convinced I had pinched a nerve or broken something in my hip when I delivered my daughter.  Turned out my Sac.joint was hardening in the other hip.  (Why that make the right hip hurt I still don't understand.)  There was hardening in the left hip as well.  Did your doctor order more films or views?