Lower back pain is an inflammatory condition
The most common complaint of patients in my office is lower back pain. Except for trauma patients are bewildered how they developed back pain. “I just bent over to pick up a piece of paper, “I was just tying my shoe,” and other inconsequential causes of low back pain are usually reported. There are many causes of developing lower back pain, and many of them are overlooked. A good case history and conversation with the patient to rule out past trauma is important, however, the daily activities must be explored. These activities are termed overuse misuse injuries, such as working at a computer. The person’s occupation and other activities are important to see if there is a connection with lower back pain.
What is almost never thought of in discovering the cause of lower back pain is the overall health of the person. Health issues such as diabetes, and other metabolic processes as well as medications, in particular statin drugs and immune suppressing drugs are often not considered a cause or contributing to lower back pain. The recovery of lower back pain will be more difficult and longer with these other health conditions.
At the center of these health issues and medications is the immune system. Most people and even doctors focus on the area of complaint with disregard of the entire person. With any metabolic problem, an illness of any type, the immune system is the repair and recovery system of the body. It is not an endless resource. The average adult in the United States is prescribed blood pressure medication, statin drugs, and an antidepressant and are overweight. Most are diagnosed with “prediabetes.” (This is called metabolic syndrome.) All these health issues use the resources of the Immune system, leaving the immune system depleted and less able to combat viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. (Risk factors for COVID 19.) If you go to your medical doctor or orthopedist for low back pain one of the drugs you are likely to be prescribed is an anti-inflammatory. Prednisone oral medication or cortisone injections. Both are strong anti-inflammatory drugs. Your lower back pain is an inflammatory condition. Now that you know inflammation plays a big part in lower back pain, you must consider all the issues that deplete the immune system. Not just to block it, but to repair it. I recognize that these drugs are necessary and important to decrease pain and suffering. After the drugs are used and you are feeling a little better you are still in the same situation with an immune system that is not working optimally.
In the next few posts, I will again discuss how to rejuvenate your immune system, but with a bonus. In the past I never liked anti-aging medicine. It seemed to only focus on living longer at any cost such as the use of testosterone. In this new age of genetics, in particular epigenetic methylation testing, aging is a function of a dysfunctional immune system. The good news is that rejuvenation of the immune system will slow aging, reduce, or eliminate disease processes and you will have energy that you have not had in decades.
