Why Losing Weight Could Increase Your Lower Back Pain & How You Should Lose Weight Safely For Back Health

Listen To The Episode Below

Welcome to the Back Pain Solutions Podcast – Why Losing Weight Could Increase Your Lower Back Pain & How You Should Lose Weight Safely For Back Health

Click here to subscribe via iTunes

If you like the show, we would be grateful if you would consider leaving the show a review on iTunes as well as Stitcher Radio. A couple minutes of your time can help the show immensely! Thank YOU!

Why Losing Weight Could Increase Your Lower Back Pain & How You Should Lose Weight Safely For Back Health

It is now well established that there are numerous health risks associated with being overweight. From increased blood pressure and type 2 diabetes to sleep apnea and osteoarthritis. Global estimates suggest that over 2 billion adults are overweight, with an estimated 650 million suffering from obesity. This number has tripled since 1976 and most of the world’s population now live in countries where obesity and overweight kills more than underweight. Despite the known health implications, the rising number of people who are overweight, and obese, demonstrates that people are not taking a proactive, preventative approach to their health. Oftentimes it is when people are faced with health challenges that they finally act.  

In this episode we discuss the impact that excess weight has on back health and why losing weight quickly could be having a negative impact on the back pain experienced by some. We highlight how some weightlifters can take advantage of their weight to support the low back during exercise whilst establishing the long-term benefits of weight loss in supporting low back health. Finally, we discuss the nutritional implications of health dietary choices on overall health and on back health so that you can start to make some changes that will support your recovery. 

Some of the things you’ll discover…

• Why weight loss could be a red flag that should be investigated to rule out sinister causes of back pain
• How weightlifters can take advantage of their weight to help support their lower backs during heavy lifting
• Why weight loss may cause be the cause of increased back pain for some people
• Why you need to set a foundation for exercise through good movement and core stability, not dive straight into exercise classes just to lose weight
• How muscle mass in the lower back can be replaced by fat in those that have been sedentary for long periods of time
• Why nutritional choices can lead to chronic, low-grade inflammation which reduces the effectiveness of the immune system to support injury or illness
• Why consuming enough protein should be an important consideration during your rehabilitation

Show Highlights

Losing weight quickly could be detrimental to the back health of some people. Whilst in some cases this is the result of reduced stability in the short term, most often it is the result of making the wrong choices regarding the exercise they undertake. Far too often people want to see quick results and so dive straight into aerobic classes, body pump classes, or other high intensity workouts without having established healthy movement patterns, or core strength, first. As a result, they don’t have the back stability to support their bodies during these new fitness endeavors and they compound the underlying injury. Frustratingly this can lead many to give up which is a disappointing outcome. 

In those people carrying excess weight, losing a few pounds will undoubtedly have a positive impact on back health if the exercise choices are the right ones. Choosing the right exercises and committing to them over the long term will result in improvements. In conjunction with a healthier diet this will allow effective, and sustainable, results.

Interview Transcription

Intro 0:00
When we’re young, we move with freedom and confidence with a great resilience to injury. But somewhere along the line we develop poor habits and become more vulnerable to back pain. Back Pain solutions features evidence based and practical advice to help you take back control of your health and get back to the activities you love. This is your guide to better back health through movement. So join us as we demystify some of the commonly held beliefs about back pain and build your confidence to a stronger back the smartway.

Ben James 0:28
Okay, welcome back to the back pain solutions podcast with me Ben James. And as always my co host, Jacob stain and today we’re talking about weight loss and back pain. Does weight loss increase your risk of back pain? Or is weight loss, a healthy way to go in terms of managing your low back pain? This question came through from a Facebook group that I’m part of, so I thought it would be relevant to discuss it here on the podcast today and outline some of the things that we want to consider when we’re looking at losing weight and managing back pain at the same time, before we start, as always head over to the website, www.smartstrong.co.uk. Take advantage of our free ebook. So you can start taking back control of your low back health in the next seven days, really gives you some strong outlines as to what you can do the things you can do each day to start to lower your back pain and get back to moving correctly. Okay, so Jacob, interesting question here regarding back pain and weight loss and not so straightforward because there’s an argument I guess, that having additional weight can provide some stability to the low back. We’ve talked before a lot about how core strength around the spine is so important for spine stability and with it, reducing injuries. Helping tissues to heal already damaged, etc, etc. So if you’re carrying excess weight, is there an argument to say that losing that weight quicklycould increase your instability around the spine and therefore cause you more back pain? What do you think on that?

Jacob Steyn 2:22
Yeah, that’s that’s a good question. And I think there is an argument to say that if we have some excess weight, it will provide us a form of stability. And you see this a lot with power lifters for example, where they want to be barrel shaped around the waist where they use the increased body mass as a form of stability in the low back. And so I think for a body type or somebody who’s not a power lifter, just, you know, the average person not really training but find themselves in a situation where they have a fair bit of excess weight around the waist. The body is used to using that as part of stabilization or has a stabilization effect. And I think so then getting rid of that will we have a chance of becoming more unstable?

Ben James 3:22
Yeah. And I think it’s important at this point just to kind of mentioned, the weight loss piece because weight loss, if it’s quick, and if it’s sudden, or fairly sudden, and you’re not even trying then that could be a bit of a red flag if you’re starting to experience low back pain at the same time. So it’s important just to mention that if you’re, if you’re suddenly experiencing some low back pain and you’ve got a experience of sudden weight loss, then that could be considered a bit of a red flag. So you might want to consider going and talking GP but what we’re talking about here is those people actively trying to lose weight. They’ve got lower back Pain already you’re experiencing low back pain. And that’s actually increasing as a result of this, this weight loss and like, like you say, Jacob, there’s an argument to say that it could afford some stability. But at the same time, I guess the question is, are you trying to do exercise at the same time as you’re trying to lose weight via nutritional means, and therefore, are the exercises you’re choosing, increasing that incidence of back pain, increasing your experience of back pain, rather than it is the weight loss itself, that’s leading to increased instability, and that’s where these things are never clear cut. So I guess if you are losing weight just by nutritional means and not doing any exercise, not doing anything differently, then possibly, you’re experiencing that back pain as a result of that weight loss because previously, the body was getting used out that weight and it was, it was providing some level of stability. But what I would argue is, in the most cases, in most instances, people are possibly trying to do exercise at the same time. And maybe therefore, it’s the exercises, Jacob, that are creating that additional pain, not the weight loss itself.

Jacob Steyn 5:19
Yeah. And I have to say, I think my thoughts on this is the person finding themselves in a situation like this. We’re typically at least where I’m from in the Netherlands, go to the gym and join aerobics classes or some form of class training, you know, where there’s where there’s a focus on increasing heart rate, non stop movement for an hour. And I think that the problem there is generally where someone who’s slipping out of a chair or being overweight now going to start moving for, for the first time need to start focusing first on regaining or at least maybe for the first time ever, finding and working on stability. So, go for it go to a place where you are then taught about, okay, let’s work on stabilizing your spine creating strength in the right way so that we, within a few weeks, otherwise, a couple of months, start moving properly, where we’re actually making, you know, starting with compound movements in a safe way, so where we’re not going from sitting in a chair without all of a sudden motivated to lose weight, we end up in a in a class to music in the gym and now we’re making movements like squats or lunges and formers just horrible and and we end up putting all that pressure through our joints.

Ben James 6:48
Yeah, and I mean, in some ways, it’s, it’s great that that people that may be motivated to lose weight but I guess it’s that argument that are you experiencing some low back pain, you’ve kind of made the realization or the link that maybe carrying excess weight is a problem with which it is because let’s face it, additional weight is going to put additional pressure on your lower back. And we’ll talk a little bit more about that in a moment. And so you’re certainly motivated, I must lose weight, and then you go out and do all you can to lose weight quickly. And like you say that Jacob, you know, if you suddenly go into a lot of aerobic classes, because aerobic classes naturally, you know, when you look at the research and information on the internet and everything else yet you want to be doing aerobic work to lose weight, and you’re changing your diet. Suddenly, you’re finding yourself very unstable because you’re doing exercise that your body’s not used to. And if you’ve got no core strength, you’ve got no healthy movement, then suddenly, that’s a lot of pressure. A lot of weight, weight go in through the low back without the stability there to help support that exercise. So I think the the point there is, and we’ll talk a little bit more about this in a moment that that weight loss is clearly a healthy thing to do, we want to be promoting weight loss, we don’t want to say, Well, actually, you know, it might be giving you some stability. So just hold on to that weight, because there are far more reasons to lose weight than there are to not lose weight. And likely, like we say, it’s the exercise choices that you make in potentially contributing to that increase in pain. So losing weight is really important. But let’s do it in a consistent progressive way, not just a rapid. If I lose weight, then my back pain is going to go away, because that’s not likely going to be the case unless you lay the foundations for healthy movement and core stability. So..

Jacob Steyn 8:52
I want to mention something there. I just wanta mention in just one mentioned something there. That’s really interesting before we move on to the next point. and that’s when we, like, you know, when if we make an MRI of a low back of somebody who’s not been moving a lot, they’ve been sitting a lot. So it will generally be one of the reasons why we gain weight. And we look at a slice through the back. So we’re looking from the top, we can look at the spine and we look at the muscles just behind the spine. Something is someone who’s been very sedentary for a long time and not been using those muscles, we see that those muscles actually turn into fat. So certain proportion of them become of the muscle then becomes replaced by fat. So we we lose the actual muscle mass close to the spine. That’s going to provide a stabilization effect. And so if we then go straight from there to the aerobic loss, the chances of actually stabilizing the spine that’s gonna be the the ability to do so it’s going to be minimal. So.

Ben James 10:03
Yeah, and what you’re talking about there is muscle mass rather than the muscle itself actually going up, we’re talking muscle mass decreases and is replaced by fat. Yes, exactly. Yeah, no, it’s it’s a great point. Because, like you say, if you’re then going to just suddenly dive into that aerobic class without that core stability, without that supporting muscle endurance, then then you’re going to make yourself far more vulnerable. And therefore, it’s no surprise that losing weight increases back pain. So there is an element of the weight itself may give you some stability, but far, far more likely, is the actions and the exercises that you’re doing as part of that weight loss program that are causing pain. So as always, it’s about laying those foundations and taking things slowly and progressively because this should be a lifestyle choice. Really, you know, we don’t want people to be ‘Oh, let me lose weight quickly and therefore my back pain goes away’. And then I can go back to how I was before because we’re all about trying to be proactive and preventative. And it’s far better to look at this holistically over the long term to create a healthier you that not just makes your back healthier, but just makes you overall better, more healthier and more resilient and resistant to injury. So, clearly, the weight loss is a positive step. And the other reason for that Jacob is the nutritional element and the increase in adipose tissue and the storage of adipose tissue and the release of inflammatory mediators and the the chronic low grade inflammation that more often than not people are not aware of generally but certainly not in relation to to obesity.

Jacob Steyn 11:53
Yeah, and what you’re referring to them as the chronic low grade inflammatory state that people are when they, when they find themselves in a situation of being obese, and that means that the immune system is then not responding in a, in the ideal way when it actually has to deal with injury or you know, fighting a virus or bacteria. So then we we find ourselves, going to the aerobics class, for example, undergoing micro trauma injuries to our joints, and our immune system has to react and then take care of that. And that’s our recovery. And that’s just a normal state that we undergo after having trained but now our immune system is actually off and it’s it’s overreacting and these inflammatory mediators are there, they’re going too fast in the wrong direction, and we end up with achy joints and all sorts of problems and if we keep doing this and we haven’t fixed it can lead to much bigger problems, but the the ideal thing is we we are actually suppressing our immune system by by being obese. So again, like you said, I mean, there are multiple factors that are suffering because of it. And we would rather move in the other direction.

Ben James 13:12
Yeah, absolutely. And I think that’s a good place to kind of, let’s lay out a bit of a vision a bit of a step by step guide, if you will, for those people that that are listening, maybe are carrying excess weight, maybe are worried that they’ve, they’ve read some information or they’ve seen by being part of Facebook groups, that people are losing weight and finding that their back pain is increasing, and therefore, they’re completely unclear as to what should I actually do. And, like we say, losing weight and moving in that direction is clearly the best way to go. Not just for your low back health, for overall health, you know, that’s, that’s, we don’t need to, we don’t need to dwell on that factor. Losing weight and being in a healthier condition is is the better way to go than than caring excess weight. So they say someone’s listening. They’re carrying excess weight, they’ve got low back pain, what are some of the simple things that they can do I mean, clearly the exercise you’ve we’ve talked about before the building the cost, and those kind of the McGill Big Three that we’ve talked about before, would be a great place to start in terms of some low intensity. Keep in the back in neutral, safe exercises to perform to start to build some core strength initially.

Jacob Steyn 14:26
The suggestion would be to take it slow, you know, it’s, it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint, and it’s like you said it’s something we would like to consider. Keep doing in the long run. As we want to make a lifestyle change. We don’t want to just lose a few kilograms and see how it goes often maybe lose motivation. So I think you know, low level cardio long walks, if the body can handle and cope with that in a daily long walks, get the body moving in at the same time, you know, from a dietary perspective without going into too much detail, and it’s it’s very difficult to do so because it’s always a very individual approach. Sure we look at look at a carb, the carb tolerance test, it’s going to be very different for everybody. But one thing that’s certain, and this would be my advice is make sure you get enough protein you know, and multiple sources. Make sure you you up your protein intake, that’s going to be very important because I think what a lot of people do when they when they are overweight, and they want to lose weight is the first thing they do is they miss this, they eat less, so they stop eating for a big part. And I think one of the first things to go is actually your protein intake. So make sure you prioritize your protein intake. And so we make sure that we don’t start losing muscle in the process of losing weight because that’s the last thing we want to lose if we lose muscle and we are not getting enough protein and we are moving to a less stable state in the spine and in the rest of the body. But also recovery is going to suffer because of it.

Ben James 16:08
And also the other element there is that the eating more protein and the right amount of protein is going to make you feel fuller for longer. So it’s going to be far better exhilarated than just quickly like you say, just reducing your food intake, which generally is is not going to be very motivational, because it’s, it’s far harder to just suddenly go kind of cold turkey, eat on foods and just feel hungry to try and lose weight. It’s just not a healthy way to go. And it’s, you know, from the point of view of physiologically, but as well as, as mentally, let’s look at a long term plan that is sustainable, that is going to make you more likely to reach the goals that you’re you’re looking for. So it’s a great point regarding the protein, but I think just generally, reviewing that that diet and taking small steps, you don’t need to change anything significantly overnight, you know, right, my diet must change completely. Again, let’s try and set some realistic goals. Yes, we want to maybe want to change that diet completely over the longer term. But let’s make some, some simple changes. Let’s, you know, let’s reduce the sugary drinks, let’s just drink more water. You know, if you do that, over the next week alone, reduce all other sources of fluid intake, whether it be sugary, fizzy drinks, or whatever that might be hot drinks, hot chocolate, whatever it might be. Just a simple move towards a healthier lifestyle could be your first step. So keep hydrated would be a great point. And start walking like you said, Jacob. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a long walk. If you just make that intention. Set that intention every morning before you start work to just go for a short walk and start to build that up over the next week or so. Then you’re just starting to set some small objectives that are going to lead you towards a more healthy lifestyle. And with that back to those kind of core exercises Jacob that you can do at home they’re they’re going to be safe to do for people that are carrying excess weight.

Jacob Steyn 18:17
I think like you mentioned before going for the McGill Big Three, you know, learning how to do the crunch properly the bird dog, you know, be careful with your shoulder but then eventually move on to doing the side plank as well. And if you have some discomfort, the tummy lying exercise where you take the pressure off your back. So I think those would be a very good start and be careful of just you know, jumping into aerobics classes or anything of the sort, you know, Zumba or the dancing classes at the gym. Because remember, your body has been has been very sedentary most likely compared to you know, compared to the people who go to those classes regularly who are doing fine. And so slowly build it up you know and and see how it goes maybe do a shorter class but be careful. It’s no point in actually hurting your back in the process, it will be very demotivating.

Ben James 19:11
Yeah, there’s no point compounding the issue because that’s the risk. You know, if you’ve got a back injury, then there’s a problem there. And then you can do exercise classes to try and lose weight, which is a positive step to take but not necessarily the right step to take particularly if it then compounds injury makes it worse, and then really demotivate you and sets you in this vicious cycle of repetitive and sustained injury. So I think, like we say, just to summarize and conclude, yes, in some cases, weight loss can lead to an increase in your low back pain. Very rarely is that simply going to be a case of the of the weight loss alone and therefore, a reduction in the stability. It might be a factor, but it’s not enough of a concern to stop you, moving down this kind of track of healthier lifestyle and weight loss, but what we want to make sure is that we start with the right exercises that focus on your movement and your core strength and therefore your spine stability first, so that we’re laying the foundations laying the platform to then later introduce aerobic classes and other aerobic activities so that we know that you’ve got the strength and the stability to support those exercises. Like always, it’s, it’s kind of training for the sport, not using sport, to train is the kind of message there because unfortunately, without laying those foundations, you just are at more risk at the same time. Let’s start looking at some of those small nutritional changes that you can make staying hydrated, eating the right amount of protein aid to keep you feeling full for longer, which is, which is important if you’re changing your diet, but particularly in this case, to ensure that we’re not losing muscle mass, which we certainly don’t want to do when we’re looking at building muscles to support spine stability. So there’s a lot of information regarding the kind of nutritional and dietary approach there’s so much information online. And from your point of view, Jacob just in the way that you kind of manage your diet is there a good resource that you could think of we could direct people to if they wanted to read a good book on maybe the keto diet or the Paleo diet because that in particular would be a pretty good choice in terms of keeping your your protein levels high and reducing those kind of inflammatory foods that we often see consumed as a certainly within the the Western diet.

Jacob Steyn 22:00
My diet, I think my best advice would be to look up Rob Wolf, and to look at the healthy rebellion podcast by Rob wolf. And he’s written two books. The Paleo solution, and I can’t remember the second name now, but that’s probably the best resource if you want to really dive into the really interesting information regarding a very nutritious and anti inflammatory approach to fixing your diet that corrects most things in the body. And yeah, that would be my my advice.

Ben James 22:39
Yeah, just to give a bit of direction if people want to read a little bit more on the subject. Gene nutrition is certainly something we’ll be adding in in terms of our podcasts and a little bit more information. But if you want to take a bit of a deeper dive right now then that would be a good resource. The primal blueprint is also a good, good podcast that you can listen into to get it a bit more information and advice. And but certainly from an exercise point of view, as always, head on over to the smartstrong website www.smartstrong co.uk. Take advantage of the free ebook. A lot of the exercises we discussed there are in there, there’s links to videos on YouTube as well just so you can see those exercises in action and practice those exercises and start to incorporate those into your daily routine. And that’s the key daily routine consistency. And progression is what’s going to lead you to success, not quick changes. And certainly in this case, quick weight loss. So hopefully that clears things up a little bit for people looking at losing weight and trying to reduce their back pain. Jacob as always, thank you for listening. And, guys, for those that have listened to the show, please head over to iTunes, give us a rating. Give us a review. We’re appreciating the comments and we’re appreciating the content that we’re getting through on the website, so feel free to dive on over there and send us some questions and we’ll answer them on the show. And thanks again for listening. We’ll catch you on the next episode.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Share This Episode

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on google
Google+
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Start Your Journey to a Better Back Today