Back and Neck Pain: Heavy Burdens
You
duck into your car and rush to work: neck and back pain
come along for the ride. You sit at the computer all day: neck and back pain
sit right there with you. You drive home from work: neck and back pain
distract you all the way. You crawl into bed for what you hope will be a good
night's sleep: there's neck and back pain again.
Why
don't neck and back pain seem to go away? According to a study published in
the June 1, 2003 issue of Spine, neck and back pain may be your constant
companions because of something else that's with you all the time: excess
weight. Nearly 6,000 adult patients from three general practices completed a
questionnaire that asked about the existence and severity of spinal pain
(neck and/or back) in the previous month. Results showed that nearly one in
three (29 percent) reported pain,
of which approximately half was chronic, 40 percent was disabling, and 20
percent was intense, chronic and disabling. An independent association
between neck and/or back pain and high body mass index (BMI) was
demonstrated, even when considering other potential influences.
Are
back and neck pain weighing you down? Treating spinal pain depends on the
cause, which may or may not be those excess pounds you're carrying around.
But one thing's for certain: Doctors of chiropractic are the experts when it
comes to helping patients get rid of those two annoying companions that can
make your life miserable.
Reference:
Webb
R, Brammah T, Lunt M, et al. Prevalence and predictors of intense, chronic,
and disabling neck and back pain in the UK general population. Spine,
June 1, 2003:28(11), pp1195-1202.