Can losing weight help with my back pain?

Absolutely! Weight loss can help reduce back pain, knee pain, and lots of other types of aches and pains. If you are suffering from any kind of pain, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program. The spine, hips, knees, and ankles are all designed to help share the load of your body. If you are carrying extra weight, then all of these joints experience unnecessary stress. Being overweight is associated with a sedentary lifestyle which contributes to low back pain. Research shows individuals that 80% of adults will experience low back pain at some point in their life, and it occurs primarily in individuals who sit for longer than three hours in small workspaces. When you are seated, most of the muscles which assist in stabilizing your hips and trunk are not required to do anything. Especially with the slouching posture which is becoming more and more common. If you don’t use your muscles, you lose them. After some time of these muscles being in a relaxed state, they simply do not contract the way they should. This can further increase the amount of work your low back has to do. Exercise can help to keep the weight under control and proper core training can increase the potential of the stabilizing muscle to do their job. If you have to sit for extended periods of time, try working on your posture immediately. Check to be sure your head is sitting on top of your spine and not drooping over in front of you. Pull your shoulders back and push your chest out (yes, this can feel awkward at first). Then, pull your belly button into your spine. If you have trouble with this and you have checked with your doctor that it is safe for you to begin an exercise program, seek the help of a certified personal trainer. They are trained to help increase your fitness and potentially improve your posture and reduce your back pain.

Losing weight is a strong defense to avoiding that annoying back pain. Lets start by understanding how weight gain causes the back pain in the first place. Overtime eating more than you burn adds to extra fat storage especially around the midsection. The increased storage of adipose tissue (fat) causes changes in the normal mechanics of the internal ligaments, discs, muscles and bones.  Normally your body is made to withstand certain forces like gravity and other external forces through absorbing and equally distributing the forces placed on it, but in the individual with excess fat storage this is not the case.  The lordotic curve (normal low back curve) is also altered due to the change in the surrounding structures so now your body is absorbing and moving or even not moving like its supposed to.  As time continues the structures and mechanics get even worse and nerves become irritated through impinging structures resulting in pain.  Now the body is telling you something is definately wrong!  But wait, it's not too late!  Start by making lifetstyle changes including being cautious of what your putting inside your body but also enjoying the foods your eating.  Don't deprive yourself, but instead add something positive to your diet like fruits and vegetables.  Slowly incorporate some exercise consisting of 30min of low-medium intensity 3-5 days per week. This can be as simple as walking or jogging.  I would recommend focusing on the core (internal and surrounding structures of your low back.) One great way to strengthen the core through the day is by pulling the belly button in towards the spine and squeezing your glute muscles especially during long standing and sitting.  Other great exercises include floor planks and floor bridges.  This is a great start and you will soon see you have defeated back pain once and for all!

  The loss of excess body weight especially in the mid-section will help reduce the stress that is placed on the back therefore in some cases will minimize some back pain. Another way to reduce back pain is to strengthen the core region which will in turn also reduce unwanted stress placed on the back.