Back pain: feeding blame?
Written by:Back pain is a pathology due to various agents: stress, sedentary, wrong posture, but also nutrition and endocrinological problems. The Dr. Corrado Musso, an expert in Neurosurgery in Bergamo , explains how food and thyroid affect the well being of the column
Power and back pain
Very important for the well being of the column is good postural hygiene. It is necessary to maintain an adequate intensity of muscular activity with the sport and with daily acts that allow us to respect the ecostructure of the column. For the elasticity of the column, however, one of the key factors is food: it is the lack of elasticity that in the long term compromises the health of the column and causes arthrosis .
Obesity , of course, has negative effects on the back. The spine is nothing more than a complex system of joints consisting of bones, cartilages and ligaments. Of course these structures are made to withstand stresses and loads limited to the individual weight of the individual: if the weight increases excessively, the system is stressed in an unsustainable way for long periods, so it degenerates. No less important are metabolic alterations that derive and which alter structurally the vertebrae and the disks.
But it's not just about weight. You have to think about food as an antioxidant therapy. The oxidative stress , which comes from the uncontrolled increase of free radicals derived from cellular metabolism, on the column determines a major disk disease. When the organism is in an increased state of such molecules that exceed the disposal capacity, the cells go into metabolic suffering and trigger a degenerative waterfall that determines the biochemical and functional alteration of the bone and cartilage structures of the column.
Vitamin D deficiency then creates an alteration in bone metabolism and muscle difficulty. Vitamin D is an essential component of the bone cell matrix: its lack affects the structural integrity of the vertebrae, so its values should always be kept under control (especially after a certain age) and maintained in the physiological range also by taking substitutes that Are commonly found in pharmacies. Absence of vitamin D predisposes the column to vertebral fractures and faster anatomical and functional deterioration.
Thyroid and backache
Chronic hyperthyroidism , although well treated from a pharmacological point of view, always results in an imbibition of ligamentous tissues and the non-perfect function of the support system of our column. The thyroid is a fundamental organ, as it regulates cellular metabolism. The increase in the liquid component inside the ligaments results in greater laxity and consequently less tightness. The ligaments have the function of compacting the vertebral joint constraints, so their incompetence favors excess movement, which results in increased anatomical degeneration of the structures involved.
Who should you turn to when you have a backache?
Usually the patient is referred to the Fisiatra or the Neurosurgeon. It is not right, however, to follow a single specialist: pathology must be tackled with a multidisciplinary approach. You should also address the Endocrinologist : by establishing a careful endocrinological assessment, the proper functioning of the body's metabolism can save our back.
Editor Karin Moscow