"An easy fix offered by Dr. Levine and Dr. Li Sun, an orthopaedic spine surgeon at RWJBarnabas Health, is to take breaks every 30 to 60 minutes to stand and stretch. “I recommend setting an alarm on a cell phone to remind people to take breaks to get up, walk around and stretch,” Dr. Sun said. “Because people are at home more — and have found time for home improvement projects — they are bending, lifting or performing repetitive tasks that they typically do not do, and injuries have resulted,” Dr. Sun said. “Golf courses have continually remained open during the pandemic and, because it’s an outdoor sport that offers physical distancing, many people have been playing a lot,” Dr. Sun said.

Ankylosing spondylitis is the most common form of spondylitis, says Li Sun, DO, of RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey. “It doesn’t just affect your spine,” he says. “It affects your large joints as well as your eyes.” The condition is diagnosed with imaging like X-rays or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), along with blood tests. “A rheumatologist can help with specific medications that can slow down the disease process as well as help with pain,” Dr. Sun says. The risk factors for getting spondylosis are age and occupation, says Dr. Sun. “Labor workers, truck drivers and some professional athletes are more likely to get it."