If you’re like most of us, you probably have a little extra padding around your waist that you’ve been wanting to get rid of for a while. But did you know that extra weight could actually be causing your back pain and sciatica?
In fact, when most people go to the doctor for back pain, the first thing they are told is to lose some weight.
The added weight can put additional pressure and stress on your back and spine. This will cause your posture to change for the worse and the weight to be distributed unevenly through your spine.
This causes the discs in the back to bulge, putting pressure on the spinal nerves.
Alternatively, the added weight can also strain your muscles to hold it up. Ultimately, this will result in muscle imbalances, again unbalancing the way stress and pressure move through your body.
So you probably know that you need to lose some weight, whether it’s because of back pain or other reasons, but what can you do about it? Especially when you suffer from sciatica and the basic exercises seem almost impossible?
Well, the easiest thing is to adjust your diet. Drinking more water is a very easy thing to do and can help you with weight loss and back pain at the same time.
Water will help your liver work better. Your liver works to burn extra body fat, but when you’re dehydrated, it actually switches to helping with kidney function. By drinking your eight glasses per day, you can help improve liver function.
Not only that, but drinking plenty of water will help you feel fuller for longer. When your stomach is full of water, you won’t have those hunger pangs that lead many of us to eat foods we know we should avoid.
From the point of view of back pain, water is the main component of the intervertebral discs. Without proper hydration, these discs cannot stay filled with fluid and help cushion the vertebrae properly. By drinking your water you can ensure that your discs are healthy and have all the fluid they need.
Another important dietary consideration is that many foods that cause weight gain and obesity are also linked to inflammation. Inflammation around the soft tissues of the back and the nerves can contribute to back pain or sciatica.
These inflammation-causing foods include foods that are high in saturated fat and trans fat, as well as foods that are high on the glycemic index. Common examples of these foods are cakes, pastries, fried foods, red meat, and other things we commonly associate with fast food.
You’ll also want to try to eat more foods that fight inflammation. These foods are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D and antioxidants. You can find them in foods like salmon, berries, organic eggs, and other fruits. Many of these foods will not only help alleviate inflammation and reduce back pain, but will also help with weight loss.