Antardhwani—a support group for Ankylosing Spondylitis patients

‘Antardhwani,’ the first-of-its–kind support management in India, was formed with the objective to spread awareness, connect patients suffering from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and help them live a normal and healthy life. Antardhwani, the CSR wing of Hitech iSolutions, an Integrated Engineering Consulting and Solutions company, has a message for every patient—“Do not suffer in silence, there is help out here." www.antardhwani.org—the support group website spreads awareness about AS and RA, and guides patients to live a normal and healthy life.

There are over 100 rheumatological disorders classified by the World Health Organization. Arthritis affects 15% people, i.e. over 180 million people in India, and is one of the most common causes of disability worldwide. This prevalence is higher than many well-known diseases, such as diabetes, AIDS, and cancer. People of all ages, sexes, and races can and do have arthritis. Shortage of trained rheumatologists in India has led to the management of these diseases by untrained doctors, practitioners of alternative medicine. The condition is not curable, and, therefore, may warrant a lifelong treatment. It justifies the importance of the support group.

While a sure cure to the ailment is yet to be discovered, Antardhwani guides patients to live a normal and healthy life through holistic healing activities like yoga, pranayama, and simple exercises that immensely help them in managing the disease.Team of Antardhwani provides a common platform wherepatients can meet regularly to exchange information andtheir experiences,symptoms,medicines used, and their effects and side effects. A panel of expert doctors & renowned rheumatologists updatepatients about the latest developments in the technologies and research conducted. Multiple educational & support initiatives by Antardhwani:

Spreading Awareness

  • Provide information and knowledge about ankylosing spondylitis& rheumatoid arthritis
  • Helpline number for patients to call in and seek solutions to their health concerns/problems
  • Guidance for positive motivation and lifestyle changes
  • Importance of eating healthy food and maintaining a balanced diet
  • Benefits of exercising regularly

Patient Well-being

  • Doctor Seminars at regular intervals
  • Health Check-Up camps
  • Physiotherapy and Yoga sessions for the patients

Financial Aid

  • Arrangement with medical fraternity for medications and treatments at discounted rates
  • Tie-Ups with six pathology labs for conducting tests at discounted prices for Antardhwani patients


The rapidly flourishing support grouphas initiated the process of gathering arthritis and AS patient data to be used for assessing the spread and severity of these diseases. Antardhwani is making efforts, where patients can encourage each other positively for arrangement of sufficient funds, to support the research work of alternative medicines for such lifelong ailments. The future is promising as Antardhwani is set to increase the support group size and then take it to the national level. With expert doctors, physiotherapists, and renowned rheumatologists on the panel from the US and UK willing to guide patients through video conferencing, Antardhwani can and will, certainly make a difference. Anyone suffering from this disease and wants to join this group can either contact Antardhwani team at contact@antardhwani.org and 09909903966, they can visit www.antardhwani.org, or can contact the doctors.