“Overweight people have a bigger risk of back pain.”
This is especially true for people with extra weight around the mid-section, which pull the pelvis forward, causing to stress on the lower back.
The extra pressure weight puts on your spine can — over time — cause a wearing away of disks’ outer fibers, increasing your risk of an injury. Being obese may also prevent you from healing pain due to herniated disk-related sciatica.
People carrying extra pounds also may experience sciatica and low back pain from a herniated disc or a pinched nerve caused by compensating for the weight.
Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise not only reduces existing back pain, but also can help prevent certain types of back problems in the future. For example, overweight and obese people have an increased risk for osteoarthritis as they age.
Not only are obese people targets for back pain because of weight, but it’s a direct result of living a sedentary lifestyle. Inactive people miss out on all the great benefits that comes from exercising like nourishment for spinal discs, soft tissues and ligaments. By not being active you deprive your body from this nourishment, which leads to disc degeneration.
The failure to perform any exercise, particularly abdominal strengthening exercises, may lead to poor posture and increased low back pain,” says Nancy E. Epstein, MD, chief of neurosurgical spine and education at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. and clinical professor of neurological surgery at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y. Good exercises for back pain prevention include Pilates or other trunk or “core” strengthening activities that can increase stability in the back muscles. Cardiovascular exercises such as swimming, walking, and bicycling are also recommended, along with movements that improve flexibility.
Patients whom are overweight benefit just as much from Chiropractic as those who don’t have a weight issue, the treatment plan doesn’t differ a lot, and they take about the same time to heal. However, having chiropractic with no attempt to lose the extra pounds and take the extra strain off one’s back would typically cause the patient to fall back into chronic pain. Chiropractic provides a window of opportunity for the patient to regain their health and start being more active without it being a painful experience.
Book your appointment now if back pain is getting you down, and keeping you from doing the things you should have no trouble with.
