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BACK PAIN? WEAK CORE OR POOR GUT HEALTH?Do you have a weak core? Do you spend endless hours upon hours crunching and twisting to improve your midsection? Have you tried every new core exercise on the planet, but you still have lower back pain? Have you bought into the thinking that all pain in your body is associated to your connective or contractile tissues? Is so, read on! You may understand that there is no such thing as “spot reduction” for the abdominal area. That is great. But what if I told you that your struggle with low back pain doesn’t necessarily have to come from a weak core area either? If you have been following Food First Wellness long, you know the importance of a strong core and its direct relationship with correct movement and bodily function. So, what am I saying? There is no such thing as spot reduction! You need to have a strong core to protect yourself from injury. But. If you have low back pain, it may not be a contractile tissue issue (i.e. muscle, weak core), it may be an organ issue!Let me explain: What if I told you that organs speak to muscles? Yes, internal organs borrow their pain-sensitive nerve fibers from the muscular system. When an organ is in pain, the brain cannot determine what hurts; the organ or the muscle. The brain can only determine which segment of the spine the message came from. At this point, the brain tells all the organs and tissues in that specific area to behave as if it is in pain. This pain then begins to weaken muscles and specific muscle groups begin to react to movement like they are in pain! If this sounds odd to you, it shouldn’t. When someone is about to have a heart attack, do they complain about their heart or the left side of their chest and left arm muscles? Do women only have pain in their female organs around menstrual periods or do they have challenges with their low back and down their legs? So, here are the practical points for you:
If you are constantly struggling with pain in the low back area but you don’t feel as you have an issue with any soft-tissue damage in the abdominal area or low back; it may be poor gut health. You may be consuming foods that you are allergic to or intolerant of.Here is a list of some of the basic allergies and intolerance that people have challenges with:
Allergies: Eggs, Fish and Shellfish, Milk, Peanut, Soy, Sulfites, and Wheat Intolerances: Lactose and Gluten If you are serious about improving your health with proper nutrition, avoid the intake of the above foods that you think are challenging your organs for six weeks. At that point, if you decide to reintroduce that specific food, your body will tell you if it is a problem. Another reason for struggling with low back pain is being constipated. When the digestive system isn’t running properly and the body doesn’t eliminate regularly the colon becomes problematic. A laxative or an enema may be all that is needed to alleviate this challenge (please see your physician before “treating” yourself). Note: Generally speaking, consuming very little to no processed food, staying hydrated, increasing your exercise regimen and increasing the intake of real whole foods will keep just about everybody regular. No one should rely on laxatives and enemas, but your goal for a healthy digestive system should be two bowel movements a day!
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