Back Pain Anyone?

[whattodo]

Looking back over the last few years I have had back pain ranging from severe to mild. I used to be a regular weight lifter and have always put the back problems down to that. Is it possible that the problems have come from having celiac disease and not know it.

I understand that there could be a problem with being calcium defficient and really want to know if it is possible to almost reverse the problem. Once on the gluten diet is it possible for your body to heal itself including bones and nerves or whatever else it has damaged (ie: increase its bone density). mind you that goes for any other problem i may have caused.

The reason for the question is that if my tests come back positive i really want to make a conservative effort to fix whatever i may have damaged but fear the worse for later on in my life.

Is there anyone who has been through this when they were younger and managed to keep away any probelms later on in their life. im 28 now and would like to know if by 50 on a strict diet i am still likely to have problems.

[ravenwoodglass]

If you have celiac your body is forming antibodies that can attack pretty much any area of the body. Once you get rid of the gluten the antibody response will stop, this will prevent the formation of any of the autoimmune problems that are related to the antibody response. The cessation of this response can put celiac autoimmune problems into remission that are already present. If the problems have been present for a long time, my own ataxia is an example of that, total resolution may not be possible. But improvement is. The sooner you find out if gluten is a problem the better.

[BRUMI1968]

I'm 38, and have back problems for as long as I can remember. I think it is due to a bad posture when I was a kid. Often girls are encouraged, in order to look cute, to jut their hips out. So that is how I've been standing for all these years, hips slightly jutted out, knees locked, etc. Any "work" I do, like walking, hiking, climbing, lifting, etc., I do with my back -- no wonder it hurts all the time.

The fix for me is, I think, Pilates excercises, and a few back exercises my amazingly good chiropractor gave me before he went into retirement. The best one:

lay on the floor with your knees bent, just like you're going to do a sit up (which you pretty much are)

inhale while on the floor

WHILE exhaling, lift your neck and shoulders up off the floor like a sit up,

BUT ADD THIS: press the base of your spine into the floor while you do it.

If you are flexing the ab muscles, you have to relax the back muscles - that is the way that muscles work.

As to whether or not gluten issues make back problems worse, I have no idea. I know that dehydration can contribute greatly to back problems, apparently many people losing symptoms by drinking lots of water. Sleeping right is another big one - those cervical pillows really helped me when I had one (I need a new one).

I can say this: do not let your back become a life long problem for you. It will get in the way of doing stuff you love. I am only now becoming able to go hiking very much. I almost always hurt myself doing yard work, and I love doing yard work. You've been an inspiration to me, I'm going to start doing the Pilates every day before lunch.

Take care. Good luck.

[pedro]

Hi I am 39 years old. I suffer from back problems since I was 15 years old. Now after damaging my body for so long I have 5 herniated disks. Two disks are compressed with no gel in the middle to prevent the bones from rubbing together.

The pains were horrible, many spinal block injections.

Now I am almost 7 weeks in the gluten free diet and free of pain. The best of all this is (No Medication).

Is great that you finding out now, before the gluten further damages your body.

Take care and please follow that diet.

Is your body, your health. We only get one body if we damage it, the damage most of time brings consequences that stay with us forever.

Be safe.

Best regards to you.

[mn farm gal]

I do know for myself that I had severe lower back pain and tail bone pain. It was so bad to sit I would drive to work and stand at my desk and do paper work because it hurt so bad to sit. This went on for a little over 2 years before that I would have pain off and on. I was gluten light and had the blood test done and came back negitive, I also started the gluten free diet the same day and have been on it for about 11 months and only have back or tail bone pain when sitting in a car for more that 4 hours at a time. Gluten free has changed my life for the better by a long shot. Good luck!

[loco-ladi]

I also have back pain, always had an excuse for it, most recently was the loco's seats, most generally are not in the best of shape and like all company owned viecles are not top quaility by any means...

I am not sure if its my imagination or if its decreasing in severity in the last couple months, but I had been cutting down on my gluten intake for the past 3 years so that "may" contribute to certain things, who knows, not me for sure!

[ZoFlies]

Looking back over the last few years I have had back pain ranging from severe to mild. I used to be a regular weight lifter and have always put the back problems down to that. Is it possible that the problems have come from having celiac disease and not know it.

I understand that there could be a problem with being calcium defficient and really want to know if it is possible to almost reverse the problem. Once on the gluten diet is it possible for your body to heal itself including bones and nerves or whatever else it has damaged (ie: increase its bone density). mind you that goes for any other problem i may have caused.

The reason for the question is that if my tests come back positive i really want to make a conservative effort to fix whatever i may have damaged but fear the worse for later on in my life.

Is there anyone who has been through this when they were younger and managed to keep away any probelms later on in their life. im 28 now and would like to know if by 50 on a strict diet i am still likely to have problems.

I think you have questions that many people ponder...

I think you have nothing to loose if you try to repair (whatever it is you want to repair.) Bodies are amazing and respond to measures that we take! It's a unique thing that mammals, especially social mammals, do!

As far as fearing for later on in your life... one thing I had to learn was that your body is unique! It doesn't really help to compare yourself to your neighbor, etc... because you have to live inside of your skin. I am a dancer and sometimes I have more pains than the next person - but I do what I need to to be able to perform and feel my best. Compared to the next person it may seem like "extra" stuff.. but for me.. it is just what I do.

So bottom line is... don't live 30 or 40 years from now... live now! Find out what your test results are, take action and make a plan to feel and perform your best! If you find a diet, and activities, that make you feel better... than you must be on the right track. I'm not sure anyone can guarantee what you body will be like at 50 years of age. But if find you are making progress in a year or two, which I think is totally possible, you could then imagine 50. (and yes... I am a young one...)

As far as back pains go - it is important to look at things holistically. Something could be attributed to celiac, or exacerbated by celiac, but I would take a rounder approach. Have you seen a doctor or physiotherapist for your back - since you are/were a lifter. Checking out pilates might be able to help your back out. Believe it or not... a lot (of back pain) can be attributed to something like posture! (I know... sounds cheesy.) More info on pilates on my profile!

I hope you find comfort within all of your questions!

[dragonmom]

I managed to get osteoperosis from having celiac disease, in the last two years , since diagnosis, my back has gotten much better, I was walking around like an old slumped over lady....now just an old lady. I stand up most of the day and I can safely say that it is much better than two years ago.

Good luck, going gluten-free helps your body a lot.