The prevalence of both obesity and back pain in developing nations has reached alarming levels. According to recent statistics, more than one-third of U.S. adults - over 72 million people were obese in 2005-2006. Of these, 33.3 percent were men and 35.3 percent were women. Especially alarming is that obesity has not decreased among teenagers - the rates remain essentially unchanged in 2005-2006 from the 2003-2004 estimates, at 17 percent.
Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Unfortunately, the consequences of obesity on the human body can be devastating. It puts people at increased risk for many diseases and conditions, most notably: hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, and gallbladder disease. There has been less research on the effects of obesity on the musculoskeletal system.
An estimated 75 to 85 percent of all Americans will experience some form of back pain during their lifetime. About 50 percent of all patients who suffer from an episode of low back pain will have a recurrent episode within one year. While it is well-known that that obese individuals experience a higher rate of hip and knee arthritis, little is known about its effect on lumbar spinal degeneration.
While obese patients with back pain are frequently advised to lose weight, the association between these medical conditions remains unproven. In order to assess the relationship of obesity to low back pain, research was undertaken on morbidly obese patients with low back pain who underwent gastric bypass surgery.
Researchers at the University of Southern California analyzed the outcome of 38 consecutive patients with low back pain who underwent bariatric surgery over a period of six months. The results of this study, Prospective Assessment of Axial Back Pain Symptoms before and after Bariatric Weight Reduction Surgery, will be presented by Paul Khoueir, MD, at 4:11 to 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, 2008, during the 76th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Chicago. Co-authors are Mary Helen Black, MS, Peter F. Crookes, MD, Namir Katkhouda, MD, Howard S. Kaufman, MD, and Michael Y. Wang, MD.
Preoperative and postoperative data analyzed at 12 months included age, weight, body mass index (BMI), Back pain intensity - visual analog scale (VAS), quality of life questionaire (SF-36 Health Survey), and disbaility scores - Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Paired t-tests and multiple regression techniques were used to assess differences in subject characteristics and outcomes. Additional patient demographics:
- Thirty patients were female and eight were male
- The age ranged from 20 to 68 years (mean 48.4 ± 10.1)
The following outcomes were noted postoperatively: