When it becomes disabling, back pain leads to a decrease in physical activity and weight gain, which can cause cardiovascular disease.
- Back pain prevents physical exercise which protects against cardiovascular disease
- These pains are also linked to a greater risk of falling.
One disease can hide another: people with back pain are more likely to suffer from other pathologies. In the specialist journal Journal of General Internal Medicineresearchers from the Boston Medical Center in the United States note that these ailments are associated with a higher mortality risk for women. This is not the case for men.
A decline in lifestyle
The researchers carried out a meta-analysis: they worked on data from more than 11 studies. In total, the sample included more than 80,000 people. By studying these data, they established that women with severe back pain have a higher risk of death, compared to women without it. The research team considers pain to be severe when it prevents a person from exercising or carrying out daily tasks. For the individuals concerned, they become a real daily obstacle and generally reduce physical activity. However, this increases the risk of weight gain and the appearance or aggravation of certain pathologies, in particular cardiovascular. “Back pain is also associated with poor balance and falls, says the research team, this can cause fragility fractures.”
How to relieve back pain?
“Proper management of back pain is important“, emphasizes Eric Roseen, one of the authors of this study. It involves non-pharmacological methods, such as acupuncture, chiropractic or massage, and drug treatments. Opioids are regularly offered to patients suffering from chronic back pain, but in the United States, they are responsible for a health crisis characterized by very numerous overdoses. Between September 2019 and September 2020, more than 85,000 Americans died from it. Eric Roseen hopes that these results will help to launch new research in order to find treatments that are just as effective but safer.
Movement is the best medicine
The concept of back pain encompasses several pathologies with different causes and consequences: sciatica, low back pain, scoliosis, hernia, etc. When the pain is moderate, or at least non-chronic, it is important to adapt your lifestyle to prevent it from becoming totally disabling. Contrary to popular belief, inactivity is the worst idea: to reduce pain, you have to be active. This involves carrying out daily tasks, but also walking, some stretching or even sports. To be healthy, you have to move!
-1593167588.jpg "Why are children sometimes aggressive?")
-1576149362.jpg "What is kindness for?")
