Maintaining a healthy weight may help avoid low back pain

Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition associated with disability, work loss and economic burden to healthcare. Significant risk factors include poor sleep, physical and psychological stress, inactivity, advanced age and smoking. The contribution of greater weight and body mass index (BMI) to risk of LBP is less clear. Many past clinical studies have been small (fewer than 1,000 patients) or in specific patient groups, such as young men or patients who come to a subspecialty pain clinic, making those results more specific to those populations. 

In a new study from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, researchers have found individuals who are overweight or obese have a significantly higher risk of developing LBP compared to those with a normal BMI.

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints patients have for their medical providers. While medications, formal physical therapy and other treatments can help, correcting risk factors, such as smoking or deconditioning, also help LBP. The current study suggests weight control and maintaining a lower BMI in the healthy range, can be beneficial for LBP symptoms as well."

Michael D. Perloff, MD, PhD, corresponding author, assistant professor of neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Using computer analysis, the researchers reviewed the medical records of more than 110,000 patients, 18 years or older who had visited an urban teaching hospital for outpatient care over the course of one year. Patient demographics including age, sex at birth, height, weight, BMI and whether a complaint of low back pain was reported at the visit was recorded.

The researchers found the prevalence of patients reporting low back pain increased with weight from a low healthy weight or BMI of 18 (or 90 pounds) up to an obese weight of BMI 35 (or 240 pounds). For BMI's beyond 35, the prevalence of low back pain did not continue to increase but stayed the same. For the range of 18-35 BMI, researchers found that every increased unit of BMI (or 10 pounds), the prevalence of low back pain increased by 7%. 

While not everyone with higher BMI's will experience back pain, the researchers documented the increased risk of it occurring. "Our study strongly suggest that maintaining a healthy weight or BMI is likely helpful at avoiding low back pain," adds Perloff, who also is director of pain medicine at Boston Medical Center.

These findings appear online in the journal Pain Medicine.