Overweight Patients

Treating patients for low back pain can be complicated if the patient is overweight. Overweight patients create extra stress on their spine making muscles work hardier.  Some overweight patients have difficulty losing weight due to their back issues.

Gastric Bypass is a very common procedure in today’s world for people who are just having challenges losing weight. When a person has a weight issue it creates tremendous strain on their lower back, hips, knees and feet. It is extremely common for chiropractic offices to be filled with patients who are clinically obese. The way obesity affects the lower back is simple for every extra pound a patient is carrying it will create 10 additional pounds of pressure on their L5/S1 Joint.

The L5/S1 Joint is the part of the bottom part of the lower back when the pressure is built up on those joints the discs will thin prematurely creating arthritis. The most important aspect of the person’s health is to maintain proper weight. Sometimes it cannot be done by dieting and exercise alone and medical interventions have to occur. However, proper weight is extremely important to maintain proper spinal hygiene.

Researchers answer some questions: Can extra pounds cause pain? If so, how does overweight make us hurt?

A multitude of chronic and acute conditions that cause pain are also more common in people who are overweight and obese. Those conditions include arthritis,mood swings, fibromyalgia, type 2 diabetes, and back pain.

So the assumption has been that being an overweight patients makes a person more likely to have multiple medical problems, and many of these conditions may cause pain.

mid section view of a man sitting on a bench in a park

overweight patients