Back pain is a common ailment in developed nations, with three quarters of people in developed countries suffering back pain at some point in their lives, and most of these going on to suffer it from that day onwards, or on a cyclical basis, for the rest of their lives.
Back pain reaches a cumulative peak in our fifties, as we reduce our activity levels, eat much less, and many women go on to suffer bone mineral loss.
Symptoms of back pain vary from person to person. Some people feel a mild ache, or stiffness. Others feel sharp, stabbing pains from their lower back to their legs. The causes are highly variable.
Although, in your youth you are more likely to suffer back pain due to poor posture or hormonal cycles, as you grow older you can add arthritis, osteoporosis, strains, infections, and bulging disks to the list.
Even though vitamin deficiencies are rarely a cause of back pain, getting enough of the right vitamins is a great complementary therapy for your back. These vitamins can encourage your bones and ligaments to stay strong, help your body to produce natural pain-relieving hormones, and give you the energy you need to exercise and fight tension or postural pains.
Vitamin E
If you want some natural pain relief, vitamin E can help you. Vitamin E gives your immune system a boost and reduces inflammation and pain signals. This means that if you supplement vitamin E, either in natural form or as a pill, your back will ache less, and inflamed joints will be less swollen and tense.
Furthermore, vitamin E helps us to produce red blood cells, which carry oxygen to our damaged tissues and helps them repair, which should speed up recovery from any back injury.
Vitamin D3
The most popular vitamin for back pains is vitamin D3. This vitamin is made in response to sunlight, or synthesized from vitamin D2 in our diets. Vitamin D3 is crucial too strong, healthy bones, fights inflammation, and helps your body to release the right hormones for growth, healing, and pain relief.
Consider sunlight before food, and food before supplements, as sunlight is the most efficient source and supplements are the least.
Vitamin C
If you suffer arthritis or another joint condition, vitamin C supplements could help keep you in good health. Vitamin C is an important part of collagen production and allocation, so if you suffer at all from brittle bones or sore joints, a vitamin C and iron supplement can go a long way to helping.
The iron is needed because the two nutrients work together. Vitamin C is also important for speeding up healing and fighting free radicals, meaning it corrects damage done to your bones and joints, but also helps prevent damage happening again.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an often overlooked vitamin where back pains are concerned. Many older people are at risk of a B12 deficiency, either due to eating less animal produce than they used to, or due to malabsorption.
A B12 deficiency is detrimental for your back, as B12 is key to healthy nerves, including the ones in your spine.
Supplementing B12 can help you develop better posture by supporting your weight better, regain mobility, and experience less pain from minor injuries and strains. Talk to your doctor about a supplement if you are unable to consume animal produce.
Always talk to your doctor before deciding to take any supplement, and check your blood levels of vitamins and minerals to see whether you are deficient at all. If you are seriously deficient you may even need a prescription supplement.
