Though one does not necessarily lead to the other, chronic low back pain may be the result of obesity. One study, broadcasted on Reuters online publication in January, 2014, announced that “changes in the brain’s reward systems could be one reason why” obesity leads to chronic low back pain. Based on the study, researchers say consuming high-fatty foods does not satisfy people with this chronic condition.
At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, our team is committed to providing the best treatments and information for chronic pain conditions. We understand the importance of lifestyle changes, including diet control and weight maintenance, for improving treatment results. Our Southwest Spine and Pain team has four locations across Utah, and are the best pain care specialists in the Southwest.
The study, lead by Dr. Paul Geha at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, was interested in the findings of earlier research that claimed “people with chronic low back pain often have changes in the areas of the brain that are associated with food and pleasure.”
Dr. Geha states that people who are stricken with low back pain are often at risk of overeating. Dr. Geha and his research team drafted 37 participants, 18 with chronic low back pain and 19 healthy individuals, for their study. These participants were instructed to taste and rate pudding samples that were prepared with differentiating amounts of fat. The next day, the researchers told the participants that they could eat as much of their desired pudding as they wanted. After, they were assessed as to how full they felt.
At the end of the study, the individuals with back pain, while rating the puddings similarly for flavor as the healthy people, didn’t like the pudding as much. The chronic pain participants rated the puddings from “like slightly” and “like moderately”, and the pain-free participants rated “like moderately” and “like vey much.”
Dr. Naum Shaparin, directory of Pain Service at Montefiore Medical Center, says “This study proposes the argument that chronic low back pain affects a patient’s relationship with food such that the patient’s pleasure from eating is decreased and the patient’s ability to know when to stop eating is also decreased, thereby leading to overeating and weight gain.”
It is important to have all areas of your condition treated simultaneously. At Southwest Spine and Pain Center, we believe in conducting a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, undertaking every aspect of a patient’s health into consideration. If you suffer from low back pain, Southwest Spine and Pain Center can help. For more information of Dr. Geha’s study, read the full article here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/15/us-eating-pain-idUSBREA0E1A220140115.
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The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
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