Being overweight: the greatest burden your spine can’t bear

When it comes to spinal health, carrying extra weight is akin to shooting yourself in the foot. Your spine and the surrounding muscles already have enough to contend with considering gravity and the onset of spinal degeneration that comes with age. So when you add superfluous weight into the mix, those same muscles have to work harder to keep you upright and pain free. The logical conclusion is muscle strain, which causes pain in of itself. But once your muscles cease to support your spine properly, your posture changes; the proper functioning of your spinal motion segments becomes altered. This is how weight leads to long-term spinal problems. 

Overburdening your spinal joints

Apart from straining the muscles responsible for supporting your spine, excess weight also places a greater burden on your spinal joints. Range of motion diminishes, then pain sets in, and finally your discs begin to succumb to compression, causing herniated discs and nerve dysfunction. So we can see that being overweight is bad for the spine, but can we see a way to resolve this issue? The fact is, losing weight is not as hard as people make it sound. It requires patience, yes, perhaps the greatest amount of patience you can muster. But by setting realistic expectations and working with the experts at Espinosa Family Chiropractic, you can set in motion a life-changing weight loss plan. 

At our office in Sacramento, we help individuals achieve their target weight in support of better spinal health and overall wellness. Through diet advice, exercise and chiropractic adjustment, we will get you on a healthier trajectory. Let’s start slow- give our office a call to schedule an appointment today.