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Obesity Linked to Spine Problems

Posted: May 1, 2006

Obesity affects more than 60 million Americans each year and has been directly correlated with causing diabetes, heart disease and even death. The North American Spine Society (NASS) sponsors a patient education campaign, “Take a Load off Your Back,” to focus widespread attention on the debilitating effects of obesity on Americans’ spines.

In 2005, NASS conducted a national survey of spine care professionals to measure the impact of obesity on back pain. The survey unveiled an increasing trend in the number of obese patients being treated for spine-related disorders – up nearly 67 percent from just five years ago. According to the NASS survey, 44 percent of the patients they see are considered obese.

Eighty-seven percent of spine professionals surveyed agree that obesity plays a significant role in back pain. The vast majority of those surveyed (94 percent) also said they recommend weight loss as a treatment option for their obese patients and, in follow-up treatment for patients who lose the weight, 55 percent found a significant improvement in their patients’ symptoms as a direct result of the weight loss.

According to NASS, the three most common diagnoses in obese patients include degenerative disc disease, which includes wear and tear of the disc itself; spondylolisthesis, which is a slippage in the lower back from wear and tear; and a disc rupture or herniation. Obese patients are also at an increased risk of developing spondylolysis, a fracture in the vertebrae, and spinal stenosis, which is narrowing of the spinal canal.

Physical activity is extremely important and the most often prescribed treatment for spine health since a patient’s back joints and discs rely on motion to keep them healthy. Overweight patients often suffer from muscle atrophy due to inactivity that worsens back symptoms and problems. NASS physicians are encouraging those with overloaded spines to take their lifestyles seriously; to eat right, be active and take better care of themselves in general.

Source: North American Spine Society

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