About 8,000,000 people in the UK are said to suffer from some type of arthritic pain. At any one time, about 6 million people suffer from back pain. Each year approximately 2 million people are said to be functionally disabled from back pain. In the U.K., £5 billion is annually spent on back pain treatment. £18 billion is lost annually in productivity and wages as a result of back pain. These commonly quoted statistics, even if partially accurate, indicate a devastating problem for the United Kingdom. It should be said at this point that statistically, the same ratios of occurrence to gross population may be representative of what goes on in other industrialised countries.
As we all know nutrition is a really important component of our overall health including the health of our back.
Those of us who enjoy too many calories and eat relatively unhealthy foods are more than likely to be a bit heavier than we should be!
So common sense should tell us that the more we weigh the more stress is placed on our spine as well as other joints in our bodies which causes extra wear and tear.
So what about the effects of smoking? If you smoke you probably do not want to hear this but studies show that there is a direct relationship between smoking cigarettes and having back problems. You see smoking slows down your circulation and cuts down the oxygen supply in your bloodstream. Adequate blood flow and oxygen supply is vital for good health and for proper healing to occur.
I noticed my back started to hurt when I started putting on some extra weight. I gained about 50 pounds and I have a terrible time with my lower back. It's a rough situation because I want to work out to lose weight but then my back hurts and then my back hurts because I am overweight. What is one to do?
The blog owner changed this comment on 2009-05-03 08:12:32