Your Diet May Be Impacting Low Back Pain

Written By Dante Leone

Low back pain is prevalent throughout our society, with estimates that 84% of us will experience low back pain at some point in our lives. For about 20% of people back pain becomes a chronic debilitating condition. We often think about back pain being related to disc issues, muscle tension, posture, etc., but something that is overlooked is how our diet plays a role in back pain.

How does what we eat have anything to do with back pain? It comes down to blood flow. Atherosclerosis, or blockage of our arteries by cholesterol plaques, restricts blood to all of our tissues, including our low back. Blood is essential to the health of our cells throughout our body, as it delivers oxygen and nutrients that our cells need to survive. This means that when blood flow is restricted the tissues in our back, including our vertebrae, discs, nerves, and muscles, are not receiving the nutrition to function properly.

Research using MRI has shown clogged spinal arteries in people with low back pain. Specifically, those experiencing chronic low back pain had restricted blood flow to the spine, and those with higher blood cholesterol reported more severe symptoms. Research also concluded that people with clogged arteries were 8.5 times more likely to suffer from chronic low back pain.

Our arteries become clogged when we eat foods high in cholesterol. Cholesterol is only found in animal-based foods, and our bodies do not need to consume any dietary cholesterol, as we can make all the cholesterol we need. Instead, what our bodies need are foods low in cholesterol. This means lots of fruits and vegetables which can help reverse these cholesterol blockages and restore blood flow to our low backs. 

So if you are experiencing persistent low back pain, choose Thrive to help you find solutions to your pain, be it physically, emotionally, or nutritionally, to get you to a healthier happier life. 

For more information regarding diet and back pain, check out this link:

nutritionfacts.org/2016/08/11/preventing-and-treating-low-back-pain-with-diet/

MEET: DANTE LEONE

DPT + OCS + CSCS | PROVIDER

Dante believes in empowering people to have the knowledge and tools they need to control their health and wellness. As a healthcare professional, he takes pride in guiding his patients to improve their well-being and be able to enjoy all of life’s activities.

Dante loves being able to work one-on-one with all types of people to build strong lasting relationships around the common goal of optimizing health. He understands the complex biological, psychological, and social impacts to our health, and addresses these various factors with a holistic treatment approach.

Dante has spent his career in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy, as well as an embedded physical therapist in an industrial setting. He has worked with a variety of patients, including athletes, weekend warriors, post-surgical, manufacturing, and chronic pain.