Nine Potential Health Problems Including Back Pain Seen With Obesity
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There's very little doubt that obesity contributes to osteoarthritis in the spine. A recent survey showed that 87% of spine care professionals agree that obesity plays one of the most significant roles in back pain.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is what's standardly used to measure for obesity. The common number is if a person is 20% over his or her ideal weight comparative to their height, age, and body structure. Obesity is now a United States epidemic.
The most common back pain diagnoses in obese patients include:
1) Degenerative Disc Disease - DDD
2) Spondylolisthesis - A slipping of one vertebral body over another.
3) Disk herniating or rupture.
4) Spondylolysis - A stress fracture in the spine due to repetitive trauma.
If losing weight occurs, pain can be significant alleviated. Here are Nine potential problems of being overweight on the body:
1) Throws off your posture. Increases lumbar lordosiss which may cause back musculature to tighten, which can cause pain/strain/sprain in the neck or back.
2) Makes it difficult to properly align the body for good sleep.
3) Makes depression worse which can then make neck or back pain worse.
4) Degenerative disc disease - the stresses seen from excess body weight may cause the disc to wear out.
5) Spinal stenosis - As the discs wear out, they may lose height and and as that happens, pinching can occur of the nerve roots trying to get out from the spine.
6) Osteoporosis - Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle that is often associated with obesity can result in decreased bone density, which can result in osteoporosis
7) High Blood Pressure and Diabetes
Hernia in one's abdomen
9) Ruptured disc - the excess weight may cause discs to experience ruptures, which can cause significant back pain and if the disc herniates and touches on a nerve root, then sciatica or radiculopathy.
Losing weight may be difficult due to musculoskeletal pain from being overweight. Going to a pain center may allow one to alleviate pain and be more active. Treatment with Phoenix physical therapy, Arizona chiropractic, interventional pain management, spinal decompression, and medifast weight loss with a health coach may allow one to either prevent or somewhat reverse these health problems.

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