Mötley Crüe's autobiography, The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, has been a very revealing experience for longtime fans of the band. 

In it, several band members ousted several accounts of events that fans had no idea of or at least knew very little about. 

One such account was Mick Mars' health struggles with a disease known as ankylosing spondylitis.

Mick Mars Diagnosed with Bechterew's Disease

The Mötley Crüe guitarist has been battling chronic pain since his teenage years, and for the longest of time, he didn't even have enough money to consult a physician.

Mick Mars getting the COVID-19 immunization vaccine.

Mick Mars getting the COVID-19 immunization vaccine. (Source: Instagram)

He suffered from ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic form of arthritis that causes spine and pelvis inflammation.

As per WebMD, ankylosing spondylitis(AS), also known as Bechterew's disease, is a lifelong ailment that usually starts in the patient's lower back and spreads up to their neck over time. 

The site also listed that there was no cure for this disease. Albeit, there were ways to manage the pain and keep their back strong through medication and exercise. 

In the book (via Pop Sugar), Mars recalled how the pain originally started in his hips. Crippling pain would take over every time he tried turning his body. 

"It felt like someone was igniting fireworks in my bones," he shared. 

This was well before his musical career had taken off. Financially, he was not in a very good place.

"I didn't have enough money to see a doctor," he confessed, "So I just kept hoping that I could do what I usually do: will it away, through the power of my mind."

Mick Mars' Illness Worsened with Time

As the AS progressed, the pain and mobility issues worsened due to the disease. 

One specific moment that the guitarist recalled was an afternoon he was doing his laundry. He suddenly had trouble breathing and felt as though someone had stabbed him in the back with a knife. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Mick Mars (@mr.mickmars)

In the weeks that followed, the pain kept moving around his back. Eventually, the pain migrated to his stomach, and this time it was a burning sensation. 

"I worried that my whole body was about to fall apart," he wrote, "I thought that there was a hole in my stomach, and acids were leaking out and destroying my bones and organs."

As a result of suffering from this disease for so long, his spine had seized up, fusing bones, which caused his crooked posture.

He supposedly even lost 3 inches of his adult height too.

Rumors of Mick Mars' Retirement

In more recent years, other members of Mars' band have come forward claiming that his condition has hindered his ability to tour as a musician. 

More recently, Mötley Crüe's drummer Tommy Lee confessed during an interview (via Loudwire): 

[Mars] doesn’t want to tour much longer. I can’t say I blame him … We want to go out with one big hurrah with the original guys and be done with it.

Then again, Mars has adamantly claimed that his condition had never held him back from touring. 

In a tweet, he even asserted that any rumor about his farewell tour was a hoax. 

Even now, regardless of his health struggles, Mars is still going strong, continuing to work with his bandmates and possibly going on tour once again later this year.