You’re probably aware that being overweight or obese can negatively affect your health. When you carry too much extra weight, particularly in the form of body fat, it puts pressure on your joints, spine, and soft tissues. Being obese can also put your heart health at risk.
If you’re obese and experience persistent lower back pain, your weight may be worsening your symptoms. Here’s how excess body fat can put strain and stress on your back, leading to debilitating chronic pain.
Excess Body Fat Changes Your Posture
When you have excess body fat, particularly abdominal fat, your spine gets pulled out of the proper alignment. Poor spinal alignment puts pressure on your spine, back muscles, and nerves. This can cause both muscular and neurological back pain.
Over time, poor posture will degrade the cartilage and other soft tissues in your back. This could be the root cause of your lower back pain.
Midsection Fat Pulls on Your Back
If you find yourself collecting lots of fat in your midsection, namely your abdomen, chest, and hips, your back could be at risk. Excess body fat in your midsection pulls on your back, thanks to the effects of gravity.
As this body fat pulls downward toward your front, your back struggles to remain upright, and you may experience muscle spasms and tightness.
Obesity, Inflammation, and Back Problems
People who are overweight or obese tend to have higher levels of inflammation in their bodies. Excess inflammation can damage healthy tissues and lead to chronic lower back pain.
This chronic inflammatory state may be caused by a poor diet, lack of exercise, or both. It’s important to aim for a healthy weight to avoid long-term soft tissue damage from inflammation.
Managing Your Weight for a Healthier Back
If you’re tired of struggling with lower back pain, there are steps you can take to manage your weight. Getting down to a lower body mass index can improve your lower back symptoms and increase your mobility. You deserve to live a pain-free life.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine for back pain, also known as Stem Cell Therapy for back pain. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.