You can blame your back pain on your office chair or on your posture, but have you taken a look at your midsection lately? Back pain is caused from a variety of factors and obesity is one of the biggest proponents of back pain. People that are obese visit the doctor more than people that are in good shape. Obese patients tend to have intense muscle strain throughout their bodies and they often experience joint pain.
Employers all across America have been offering incentives to employees that make a commitment to lose weight or to improve their health in some way. Health insurance companies are even offering tips on how to lose weight the healthy way (which means no crash diets and “miracle” pills to cure your obesity problem).
In addition to back pain, individuals that are obese often experience a handful of other problems like fatigue, migraines, and asthma. Once you pass the recommended body mass index (BMI) for your height, every extra pound will add additional strain to the muscles and ligaments in the back. It is not uncommon for obese people to declare disability and require back surgery someday to relieve some of their pain. What happens to the back with the extra weight is that is starts to become tilted and it will start to curve. The extra weight in the stomach is the worst possible weight to have. Not only does this weight increase your risk of cancer, it pulls the pelvis forward and strains the lower back. This is why so many people experience lower back pain.
Obesity often causes herniated discs to occur. This happens because the discs are compensating for the excess pressure being placed on the back. Many people also experience pinched nerves in addition to their herniated discs and other back pain. Over time, arthritis of the spine will start to occur because the extra weight has strained the joints.
The best thing obese people can do is lose weight. Everyone needs to try and keep their BMI under 25. Once it crosses 25, back problems and a handful of other problems are likely to develop. In order to determine if you are obese, contact your doctor. There are several BMI calculators out there, but it seems like no one really agrees on them. Speak to your doctor and develop a healthy exercise and weight loss routine. They will be able to set a target weight for your age and height that can help you reduce your back pain and other problems. Most doctors agree that women should keep their waist line below 35 inches and men need to keep theirs below 40 inches.
Starting a diet and exercise program is not an easy task. If you have back pain, talk to your doctor about exercises that will strengthen your back. They may send you to a physical therapist to start work on your back before you begin an intense exercise routine. To start your new routine, set a timeline for different goal weights. Healthy weight loss is 2 pounds a week. For obese people, they may see fluctuations in their weight loss which could cause them to lose 5 or more pounds a week. Their weight loss will start to level off over time and they will need to work hard to lose those extra pounds.
When you start to exercise, you will experience some additional pain in your back. This is normal because you are working muscles that have not been used for a long time. You should feel sore all over your body. Remember to stretch well before and after your workout to prepare your muscles and to keep them limber.