I have learned that I have to listen to patients’ structural, emotional, and digestive issues to get to the truth of back pain. While there are thousands of studies on how nutrition impacts muscular function, very few health professionals have connected the dots from digestive function and nutrition back to back pain. In one study published by the Asian Spine Journal in 2014, 31% of women and 24.6% of men who were suffering from back pain also suffered from gastrointestinal complaints such as abdominal pain or food intolerance.
You Are What You Eat
Whether it’s too much coffee, too many sweets or a host of other edibles, certain foods can agitate your digestive system and chemically induce back pain. With dietary issues, we are looking for either changes in the chemical system or repetitive patterns that can result in back pain. Hormonal changes also fall into the digestive category and can influence back pain.
My full digestive back pain assessment (along with structural and emotional assessments) can be found in 3 Weeks to A Better Back, or you can find your score by taking the assessment here. For starters, below I have listed a few questions that will help you start to assess if digestive and hormonal factors are contributing to your back pain –
Depending on your answers to the complete survey, you will fall into one of the following three categories:
Are You Eating Too Healthy or Unhealthy?
I have treated people who suffer from back pain because they drink too much coffee or alcohol. Caffeine, alcohol, and sugar have been shown to increase cortisol levels. When too much cortisol is present in the body, connective tissue throughout the body can become inflamed and cause pain. Eating large meals, skipping meals, or consuming only low-carb foods can result in low blood sugar and create more stress in the body. Elevated cortisol levels also increase your appetite and cravings for calorie-dense sweet and salty snacks, so the negative cycle continues.
I have also treated people in which healthy food is the culprit. Some people have back pain from eating too much salad! Keeping a healthy back involves eating the right diet for YOUR digestive system, maintaining flexibility and posture, and creating emotional balance. Full diet plans can be found in The Back Pain Relief Diet, but below I offer a few tips that can help you eradicate the inflammation caused by your diet: