Ardens Template update

Published October 17th 2025
by NASS

Working collaboratively with Ardens, Dr Toby Wallace (Champion in Primary Care) encouraged the updating of these templates to incorporate the latest axial spondyloarthritis terminology and allow clinicians to use NICE or ASAS criteria for patient assessment. These templates also link to the Spade tool and the GIRFT AxSpA clinical pathway. The updated templates went live in December 2023.

You can find the template here

Symptoms starting slowly

Pain in the lower back

Improves with movement

Night time waking

Early onset (under 40)

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General Public
Axial SpA stories
Talking to your GP and understanding symptoms
Talking to rheumatology and understanding diagnosis
Good to know

Healthcare professionals
Identification and referral in primary care
Identification in secondary care
Diagnosis within rheumatology

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