Today’s sedentary lifestyle has increased the number of people with back pain. Even the young population is suffering from back pain, which is restricting them from doing many activities. For many people, doing daily chores has become challenging because of back pain. But, thankfully, there are several invasive and non-invasive treatments available for back pain. People can recover from this problem and live a normal life.
A pain management doctor will help you recover from back pain. But, there is something that you too should do to reduce back pain and ensure a quick recovery. You should work on your weight. There is a strong connection between weight and back pain. It is proved by many experts that weight loss significantly helps in back pain along with other treatments.
Weight and back pain
The weight of the body is majorly felt in the feet when you stand for long periods. You feel like sitting and relaxing frequently so that your feet don’t feel the pressure. But, this weight goes to the lower back as well and affects it severely.
If you are overweight, the excess weight typically settles around the waist area, which is directly connected to the lower back region. This area can handle the weight only to a certain limit. If it goes beyond that, the spine shifts to accommodate the body, which results in a tilted or stressed spine. Sometimes, the weight doesn’t lead to back pain but it further aggravates the pain caused due to other reasons. So, weight, directly or indirectly, impacts the back pain and interrupts its recovery.
How Weight Loss Helps in Reducing Back Pain
Weight loss alleviates back pain in several ways. You get the benefits based on the problem and condition of your back pain.
With weight loss, pressure is relieved from the spine and the lower back. And with less or no pressure, there is no back pain. Also, it improves overall health and reduces the risk of conditions that lead to back pain.
Other than this, weight loss reduces strain on the muscles and back that surround the spine. With reduced strain, the spine stays relaxed, reducing back pain. Also, the reduced strain on muscles provides a stronger core to support the back.
How to lose weight with back pain
Weight loss with back pain is very challenging. Exercise can be painful. So, you should start slowly and strategically.
First, you should evaluate your lifestyle habits and effectively work on changing negative daily habits. A few changes at the first attempt will be impactful. Other than this, you should prefer low-impact exercises such as swimming or walking and eat low–fat meals. Also, you should take a long rest and improve your quality of sleep.
The best is to take advice from a pain management doctor, dietician, and personal trainer for weight loss.