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Chronic Low Back Pain? Check Your Gut.
Written By: Dr. Kristin Lander, DC Highlands Chiropractic & Wellness | Issue: March 2024
Gut health could be linked to low back pain. There are safe, effective treatments for this widespread malady.
Dr. Kristin Lander, DC
There are many reasons for low back pain. Research tells us 84% of adults will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. Most of these cases will resolve with various combinations of conservative care (like chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, dry needling, or therapeutic exercise).
For an unlucky minority, this pain will become chronic. In these instances, imaging such as X-rays and MRIs may show various abnormalities such as bulging or degenerated discs or spinal arthritis. While these abnormalities can absolutely be the source of pain, we also commonly see these findings in completely asymptomatic people. This always begs the question in my mind, “what is causing the pain in our chronic low back pain patients?”
Researchers have long set out to answer this question and we are rapidly getting more answers. It turns out impaired gut function and a poor gut microbiome (made up of all the healthy organisms which make our guts work properly) appear to be one of the causes of chronic pain in many people.
When the gut does not have the proper amounts or ratios of microorganisms (known as ‘gut dysbiosis’), it causes widespread inflammation throughout the body. This inflammation can wreak havoc on muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments, even your heart and brain. This means it’s not just our chronic low back pain patients who may be suffering from gut dysbiosis, but all of our patients experiencing any kind of chronic pain, including osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis.
To improve gut health and promote diversity of the microbiome, eat a healthy diet consisting of high fiber foods like legumes, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, or kimchi, as well as limit your intake of processed foods and refined sugar.
Many of our patients find great relief by starting with GI-MAP testing designed to detect microbes that may be disturbing normal microbial balance or contributing to illness. This testing includes key markers related to digestion, absorption, inflammation, and immune function and helps us, as practitioners, treat the root cause of your gut issues, and thus treating the root cause of your chronic pain.
