Table of contents:
-Intro-
-Why Obesity can cause back pain-
-7 Uncommon tips to help with back pain for obese people-
-Conclusion-
-Intro-
If you’ve been morbidly obese for long, you know how bad the back pain can be. Sometimes just walking up a few stairs or down the hall can be EXTREMELY painful.
Fortunately, there are ways you can finally get rid of the pain……and finally feel normal when you walk.
Honestly, I wish I had learned some of this stuff sooner. The pain really sucks sometimes. I remember embarrassingly sweating profusely many times due to back pain that could’ve been avoided.
Hope you enjoy this article!!! Please feel free to leave a comment with any feedback at the end! Thanks for reading!!
Why Obesity can cause back pain –
A quickly google search shows that research on this subject is overwhelming. You could easily find yourself sifting through days and weeks of research that might leave you more confused than when you started.
But……the studies are very clear. The more weight you gain…..the more likely you are to experience more back pain.
So why does it cause back pain?
Most research shows that the reason for the pain is simple. More weight causes more stress on your pelvis. Causing it to be pushed forward.
However, it is not that simple.
Studies have shown that there are other factors involved as well. Including even weird situations such as overeating causing pressure directly to the spine. Which of course, also results in pain.
To make it even more confusing…..sometimes the cause can be even more serious. For instance gaining weight can cause IDD (internal disc disruption) one common disorder which can be caused by weight gain. Which, in the simplest of terms, just means that the discs are slightly in the wrong place.
Of course, there can be other reasons as well. Not even related to your weight. Self diagnosis can be difficult, with all the information out there. Some of these tips I share in this article have helped me, but it’s best to consult with your doctor or physician.
Please consider as well that your back pain may not be from weight issues.
Examples of common back problems:
-Herniated Disc (felt in lower back)
-Spinal Stenosis (usually lower back or neck)
-Degenerative Disc Disease (usually lower, can be upper)
7 Uncommon Tips to help with back pain for Obese People –
#1 Don’t sleep on your stomach.
This helped me TREMENDOUSLY when I first started trying to stop my back pain. As soon as I started sleeping on my back or my side, my back pain literally melted away. I remember sleeping on my stomach would cause me at least an hour of back pain every single morning. Many times so bad, I had to lay there until I could finally move.
So why does sleeping on your stomach cause such awful back pain?
Turns out, it causes stress on your back because your back needs to be in a neutral position. Since Obese people carry more weight in their stomach usually the distribution is off and is what causes the pain.
#2 Stop sucking your stomach in (you might be doing this and not realize it)
This was a HUGE shock for me. Sucking your stomach in can cause huge back pain problems especially for obese people. Just try it. See if you’re holding your stomach in, and simply let your muscles relax. The pain relief isn’t totally instant, but you’ll DEFINITELY see an improvement pretty quickly.
So what’s the science? Why does this cause back pain?
Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of research on this. I’ve seen some doctors however online say that sucking in is causing pressure to your spine and that’s what causes the pain. If the pain is severe however when you suck in, it is very likely it could be a more serious problem such as a herniated disc. As always, it’s best to consult your doctor if you feel like the pain is to much.
Sucking in also causes other problems such as:
– compressing organs causing digestive problems
-Shoulder and neck pain
-Headaches
I urge you to try this, as a morbidly obese guy with many obese and morbidly and super morbidly obese friends who’ve also tried it……I can tell you this helps MANY many people. I know our instinct is to try and suck it in, but it really isn’t good for your health.
#3 Try core strength exercises like Pilates
Working on your core strength improves your back pain TREMENDOUSLY. I’ve Been doing it for awhile and it’s personally what’s helped me out the most. This is a long term strategy however, and so you won’t see much improvement at first…..but if you hang in there, and just don’t quit……you’ll see improvements not only in your back pain, but in your quality of life as well. I LOVE, being able to move around freely for a few hours and NOT FEEL BACK PAIN. It’s literally heaven.
So, how does core strength improve your back pain?
Basically, your body uses passive structures in your body…….Your bones and ligaments to stabilize you when your muscles can’t.
If you’re interested in learning more, I found this article super helpful.
#4 Stretching
Stretching has always been my favorite method to get rid of back pain when I desperately need it.
The best thing about it? It’s simple and quick. If you need to get rid of some pain or just alleviate some stress on your lower back….you can literally stretch just for a couple minute and feel worlds better.
Why does it work? In the simplest of terms it reduces the pain from your muscles being to tense around the spine. However, If you really want to dive in, check out this article from Harvard. At the bottom there’s a link to buy a health report from them as well. If you click on that you can take a deep dive, they also offer other health reports on how being flexible and stretching can improve your health as well. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/stretching-and-strengthening-are-key-to-healing-and-preventing-back-pain
This video shows some of my favorite exercises I do when my lower back hurts. It’s super quick and easy to do.
Keep in mind, that this will get better over time as well. The more you improve your flexibility…..the better you end up feeling. It’s awesome, and definitely worth a try!
#5 Thai Massage (Otherwise known as “Lazy Mans Yoga”)
You’ll need a partner for this one, but they’re awesome.
Thai massages are different from your typical deep tissue massage where you’d just lay face down on a table and let them do all the work.
Thai massages are on the ground on a mat and involve stretching and deep pressure.
There aren’t as many studies on this practice, but there are ones out there that show overtime these massages do help with back pain. Personally, I find it obvious after receiving one. Sometimes I do my own version on myself as well. The pain is greatly relieved quickly.
Do I need to go to Thailand to get one of these massages?
Of course not! If you live in the US or Europe you can find many places that offer Thai massages. You can also learn with a partner very easily online and offer it to each other. However, if you do go to Thailand you can get massages there very cheap. As little as 2$ US.
#6 Back Pain Patches (The quick fix)
Did everyone just forget about these?
They’ve been around forever, but for some reason when I bring them up to people……no one seems to know about them.
There are tons of great options for these out there. Online you can easily find good ones such as Salonpas (who’s been around forever.
These are AMAZING if nothing else you try is working. Most work by release small amounts of lidocaine slowly to relieve the pain.
#7 Herbs and supplements
This one is a bit questionable, but I do believe that turmeric has helped me personally.
I’m naturally skeptical, so I haven’t tried any other supplements…..however…
After hearing from multiple people that turmeric has worked for them (for more reasons than just back pain) I’ve tried it and I do think it has helped.
Of course, if you’re not interested in turmeric there are other options out there that people claim help them.
Here are some of the most popular ones out there: Omega 3s, Glucosamine, MSM, Bromelain, Devils Claw, Willow Bark.
As far as i can tell, there really isn’t any downside to taking any of these that I can tell. BUT I would definitely do my research if I were you. Don’t just take my word for it!
Conclusion:
I definitely encourage you to try some of these techniques! Many of these work absolutely fantastic for me. Please, if you enjoyed this article at all please leave a comment! I’d absolutely love to hear from you how I could make this article better or what you enjoyed about it. Thanks again for reading!