Back Pain: have you looked at your weight?

Have you suddenly been wracked with back pain? Your doctor explaining the cause with esoteric terms such as L1, L2 as the cause?

Have you considered the fact that it might just be the weight on your abdomen?

Your body, muscle, and bone have all been designed to a certain specification. The design gives your body the balance to function.

If you gain weight, especially around your abdomen, the balance is lost. The extra weight pulls your body forward. Your spine tries to adjust. It curves more than it should.

This strain builds up.

The lower back, called the lumbar spine, feels it the most. Designed to support your weight, too much causes the spine to tighten. This creates stiffness, tension, and pain.

Your posture also changes. You may slouch without realizing it. Your pelvis tilts forward. Your back arches unnaturally. All of this puts even more stress on your lower back.

In some cases, the nerves in your lower back get compressed. This can cause pain that travels down your legs.

Even simple movements become harder. Standing, sitting, walking. Everything feels heavier. Your body needs to work harder just to do normal activities.

This leads to even more fatigue and more pain. If you do not take care of it, the pain become chronic.

So what can you do?

Losing even a small amount of weight around your abdomen helps. There is less pressure on your spine. Muscle tension eases. The weight loss lowers inflammation.

Exercising to strengthen the muscles around your spine also helps. After all, the muscles are the trusses supporting your spine.

So before you go thinking about surgery or expensive medication, consider the low-cost option of exercise and of just eating less to reduce your weight.

A stronger back means a better life.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain