Dan Reynolds Spends Three Hours In The Gym To Stop His Pain Due To Ankylosing Spondylitis

Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds opened up about his ankylosing spondylitis during a recent appearance on Behind the Brand. The frontman stated that he has to spend at least three hours in the gym every day to stop his constant pain. While there is medication, Reynolds revealed that he cannot take it since it affects his vocals.

For those of you who may not know, Dan Reynolds announced that he has been suffering from ankylosing spondylitis at Leeds First Direct Arena in 2015 during the band’s Smoke + Mirrors tour. His disease is a type of arthritis in which there is long-term inflammation of the joints of the spine, basically causing constant pain to joints.

In addition to his condition, the Imagine Dragons frontman has also suffered from ulcerative colitis since the age of 21. This disease has primary symptoms such as abdominal pain, inflammation of the eye, and joints. Since both diseases include joint pain, the musician has been working on his body for a long time.

During a recent interview, Dan Reynolds opened up about the reason why he actively exercises. Apparently, the main reason he spends so much time in the gym is to prevent the constant pain coming from both of his diseases. When his ankylosing spondylitis is combined with ulcerative colitis, the singer suffers from immense joint pain at all times if he doesn’t work out.

Reynolds also didn’t forget to mention that there is another method for him to stop the pain: to take heavy medications all the time. It appears that he tried to live on medications for his conditions, but unfortunately, they altered his voice. Since he was left with no choice, the musician started working on his body on a daily basis.

In his own words, Reynolds said:

“I have two reasons that I have to stay fit. I have ankylosing spondylitis, and I have ulcerative colitis. They are autoimmune diseases that basically attack my joints and the only way to not live in pain is to either take really serious medication which alters my voice so I wouldn’t be able to sing or do really rigorous exercise.

It’s almost like rehabilitation. I’m not going to a gym and doing bench press and stuff. It’s like physical therapy for joints. It’s strengthening my joints and thing like that. So, I really have to be extremely focused. Every day, I probably spend three or four hours working on my body to make sure that I’m not living in extreme pain.”

You can watch the entire interview below.