Food As Medicine For A Healthy Back

Back pain can disrupt how a person functions throughout each day. The thing about back pain is that quite a few factors can cause it.

Lifting heavy objects, making awkward movement being overweight or having certain medical conditions may affect your back over time. One thing that can flare or fight inflammation, though, is food.

It can be surprising to many that even the food they eat can play a role in their back pain. Some foods can be inflammatory, meaning they can trigger more inflammation in the body. Others can be a "medicine" for your back, potentially reducing inflammation causing that disruptive back pain you've been experiencing.

Indianapolis physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Anand Navarasala, DO, FAAPMR, explains how foods can reduce and increase inflammation and back pain, along with what you should know about vitamins.

How Can Certain Foods Help Back Pain?

"Food can be viewed as medicine in the large majority of situations, including when looking for alternative ways to reduce symptoms such as back pain," said Dr. Navarasala, who practices at Franciscan Physician Network Neuroscience Specialists Indianapolis. "The majority of whole and minimally processed foods can help you obtain these nutrients. Keeping up with these nutrients in the long term can support a healthy spine and potentially reduce the risk of worsening spine and musculoskeletal pain."

Inflammation in the body can lead to back pain and other painful chronic conditions, Dr. Navarasala explained. And with many easily accessible foods on store shelves that can cause inflammation, watching what you pick from the grocery store is crucial.

"Highly processed foods and those with high sugar content should be minimized or eliminated," Dr. Navarasala said. "Minimize red meats and substitute with fish or chicken when looking to increase protein intake. Restrict dietary grains and dairy. Grains that should be minimized or eliminated are simple carbohydrates and those with refined sugar."

What Foods Can Reduce Inflammation In The Body?

Researchers have found, however, that eating particular foods can help ease pain and that in some people, certain foods may exacerbate it. Clearly, a balanced and healthy diet full of lots of fruits and vegetables and light on animal fat (and trans fat) can help anyone live a longer, healthier life. But if you're struggling with persistent pain, you might just be able to take your discomfort down a notch or two by experimenting with your diet.

"Eat the rainbow," Dr. Navarasala said.

He explained that this phrase refers to eating up to 8 to 9 servings of vegetables per day, with a few of those including fruit servings.

"This can be helpful to provide your body the nutrients it needs as well as reduce inflammation as a result," Dr. Navarasala said. "Cruciferous vegetables are often best including broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower."

Other foods that have been shown to help combat inflammation include:

• Tart cherries. Tart cherries contain powerful cancer-fighting antioxidants as well as cyanidin, a compound that's been found to be better at reducing inflammation than aspirin. According to a report in the Clinical Journal of Pain, anecdotal evidence shows that eating tart cherries may relieve the pain of gout and arthritis.

• Omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, known for their help for the heart, have been shown to reduce inflammation as well. Numerous studies have shown that increasing intake of omega-3 fatty acids is particularly effective at lessening pain among people with rheumatoid arthritis. Note that omega-3 supplements may interfere with blood clotting, so people taking aspirin or other NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or ketoprofen) or blood thinners (such as warfarin) should avoid omega-3 supplements due to the increased risk of stroke or excessive bleeding.

• Soy. High-protein soybeans are packed with isoflavones, powerful compounds that have been shown to slow down both inflammation and oxidation.

• Turmeric. Curcumin -- the active chemical in turmeric -- has been used to help prevent ailments for generations in Asian countries, and recent studies show that it helps fight both inflammation and cancer.

How Does Food Trigger Inflammation And Back Pain?

With a bit of research, you'll be able to find foods you enjoy and keep your back in good health. Still, it's just as important to understand how your body reacts to the food you eat in the first place. Dr. Navarasala explains how food can trigger inflammation in your body.

"Inflammation comes from a biochemical reaction in the body initiated by our immune system," Dr. Navarasala said. "Nutrition that supports reduction of inflammation may decrease frequency and severity of back pain. Simple carbohydrates promote inflammation while vegetables can potentially shut it down."

Dr. Navarasala explained that diet is a contributing factor that may contribute to or worsen many conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, elevated blood cholesterol and back pain.

"Health and lifestyle choices can contribute to these conditions, which may increase the risk of developing back pain," Dr. Navarasala said. "As with any lifestyle change, it does not come easy at first and creating a plan with small changes to start can contribute to long-term results."

Does Water Help Back Pain?

Watching what you eat to avoid back pain is essential, but you'll also need to consider your hydration. Make sure you’re drinking enough water.

"A lack of hydration may contribute to back pain," Dr. Navarasala said. "Hydration is essential to maintaining the intervertebral discs in between the bones of the spine. The center of the disc material is primarily water in addition to collagen."

"Also, your back pain likely occurs as toxins in the body that are not able to be flushed out properly. Ideally, your urine should be clear to slightly yellow, and our hydration needs vary based on activity levels and age."

While considering your activity levels, you can determine how much water dividing your body weight by 2. The resulting number should help you recognize how many ounces of water to drink per day for most healthy adults.

Can Vitamins Or Supplements Help Back Pain?

As you age, you may hear more about adding vitamins and supplements to your daily routine to maintain with your nutritional needs and overall health. Still, can vitamins or supplements really help reduce back pain or be more harmful than good?

Dr. Navarasala explained that the nutrients your body needs to help reduce back pain should come from your diet. Supplements can be unnecessary unless a person isn't getting the nutrients they need from eating.

"Dosages of vitamins within supplements can vary, as can potentially harmful additives in the supplements," Dr. Navarasala said. "If supplements are taken too frequently, they can accumulate in the body and even cause harm. Turmeric, for example, can lead to liver injury in rare cases."

"All supplement intake should be closely monitored by your primary care physician for side effects as well as routine monitoring of renal and liver function."

With an understanding of what to avoid in the grocery store that can cause inflammation and result in troublesome back pain, you'll be able to focus on finding the foods that both you and your back prefer, all while improving your overall health with the added nutrients in your new diet.