Holiday Weight Gain and Back Pain, Part 1
Dr. Bart,
I’ve been experiencing minor lower back pain, and it doesn’t seem to be going away. I’m currently about 10 pounds overweight, and I’m worried that if I put on extra pounds over the holidays, the problem will get even worse. Is it true that weight gain can cause or worsen lower back problems?
Sincerely,
Alex
Alex, excessive weight gain CAN in fact lead to back pain and negatively affect spinal health. If a patient is carrying a mere 20 pounds of extra body weight above what is considered healthy, they are at risk. In a survey conducted by SpineUniverse in late 2007, 69% of people estimated that they typically gain up to 8 pounds during the holiday season. And 9% put their weight gain at over 8 pounds. Given this statistic, and the concerns you expressed in your question, you’ll want to be extra careful this holiday season. One of the primary negative effects of weight gain is that your spine can become overworked:
In order to compensate for extra weight, the spine can become tilted and stressed unevenly. As a result, over time, the back may lose its proper support and an unnatural curvature of the spine may develop. In particular, pain and problems in the low back may be aggravated by obesity. This occurs for people with extra weight in their stomachs because the excess weight pulls the pelvis forward and strains the lower back, creating lower back pain. According to the American Obesity Association, women who are obese or who have a large waist size are particularly at risk for lower back pain. – spine-health.com
With extra weight, you may also be more prone to back injury, degenerative disc disease, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, compression fracture, and spondylollisthesis.
At River Ridge Chiropractic, we believe that regular back maintenance is part of the overall solution, but there are plenty of little things that you can do throughout the season to make sure that you maintain a healthy weight. In the next blog, I’ll give you some specific tips for keeping the pounds off and your back in great shape.
