A medical condition where joints or bones become stiffened and fused together, losing their ability to move.
From Greek 'ankylos' (stiff, crooked) + '-osis' (condition, disease). The term has been used since ancient times to describe pathological fusion of joints, appearing in Hippocratic medical texts and evolving through medical practice to describe specific diseases.
Ankylosis is what happens when inflammation or scarring in a joint wins the war—the joint surrenders its flexibility and essentially 'gives up' by fusing itself solid! It's the body's extreme response to chronic pain, and ironically, sometimes the resulting immobility reduces suffering.
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