Can Obesity Cause Back Pain?

A person is considered to be obese when the amount of fat tissue
throughout their body is beyond the usual levels based upon
height, age and weight. The American Obesity Association (AOA)
states that 64.5% of adult Americans, which is around 127
million people, can be described as being overweight or obese.
It not only affects adults across the U.S., but is now becoming
a trend among today’s youth.

When a person is obese, they will experience a multitude of
problems, many of which affect their overall health. There will
be many variables within their physique that will suffer from
being overweight. Poor circulation throughout the body, weak
legs, as well as back pain, are some of the things that could
happen when someone is obese.

When someone is obese, they may feel discomfort in their back
and may exhibit some of the symptoms that are associated with:

1) Osteoporosis: The density and strength of your bones are
weakened. A person is more at a risk for fracture when they have
osteoporosis. Vertebral fractures tend to be painful, often
disabling a person. When you are diagnosed with this condition,
you probably have lost 25-30% bone density.

2) Osteoarthritis: A form of arthritis, usually seen in older
individuals. This condition means that the cartilage of the
joints have suffered chronic degeneration.

3) Rheumatoid Arthritis: A person suffers from stiffness and
inflammation of the joints. They will also experience weakness,
loss of mobility, as well as deformity.

4) Degenerative Disc Disease

5) Spinal Stenosis: Means that the lumbar spinal column has
narrowing, which produces pressure on the nerve roots. This also
can result in sciatica.

6) Spondylolosthesis: There is slippage in the lower back disc.

7) Sciatica: A person has pain along the sciatic nerve. This is
usually caused by a herniated disk of the lumbar region of the
spine.

To better understand the affects of obesity on back problems,
you should know that the spine is meant to carry a person’s body
weight. It also distributes the loads during rest and activity.
If a person has excess body weight, the spine then has to deal
with this extra burden, causing some structural compromise and
damage, as well as injury.

The most affected part of the back that is usually apparent, is
the lower back, also known as the lumbar spine. If a person is
not exercising, then they will suffer from poor flexibility and
weak muscles in the back area. Sometimes the curve of the lower
back can curve, weakening other areas of the body.

When you are interested in improving or avoiding back pain,
there are a few exercises that you may want to consider. It is
suggested that you work out the back at least five minutes per
day to avoid injury and to ease back. They can be found below:

Curl-Up

1) Lie flat on your back with one knee flexed. 2) Raise your
head and shoulders off the floor. 3) Alternate the bent leg
midway through each set of repetitions. 4) Pause and then return
to the starting position.

Side Bridge

1) Lie on your right side, bending your knees. 2) Raise your
upper body using your right arm to hold you up. 3) Use the torso
to lift the hips, being careful not to let the top hip rotate
forward. 4) Make sure to bend your elbow directly beneath your
shoulder. 5) Place your left hand on your hip. 6) Hold this
position for 10 to 15 minutes. 7) Repeat on the opposite side.

Birddog

1) Get on all fours. 2) Extend one leg and the opposite arm so
that they are parallel to the floor. 3) Hold this position for
seven to eight seconds. 4) Repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

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