Gas and constipation causing lower and middle back pain? There may well be a link! If you are prone to gas, bloating and constipation there is a high chance that you may suffer from lower back pain as well. Well, you might not notice a direct relation between your ailments, but there certainly is a link.

Often, tackling the cause of excess, bloating or constipation can sort out your back pain problems once and for all – even if it isn’t the cause of the back pain you will certainly feel better in yourself and more comfortable!

Here’s helping you figure out all the little details about your lower and middle back pain!

Gas And Constipation Causing Lower And Middle Back Pain

Gas And Constipation Causing Lower And Middle Back Pain

So, lets have a look at each condition in turn to see if it could be gas and constipation causing lower and middle back pain.

How Is Gas And Bloating Responsible For Lower To Middle Back Pain?

Gas And Constipation Causing Lower And Middle Back PainIntestinal gas is a regular feature with most of us. The problem with our fast and heavy schedules is that we hardly get a chance to have proper meals. We always seem to be in a hurry, so most of the food we gulp down is partially digested.

Gas is typically caused due to fermentation of this partially or undigested food. Gas is also caused when your alimentary system is unable to break down certain components in your food such as sugar and gluten. This means that the gas bubbles are trapped inside your intestines. This, in turn, can lead to abdominal bloating and cramps.

Some gas is completely normal and most of us pass gas up to 20 times each day. It’s only when this gas gets trapped and hence can’t move through the digestive system freely that we start to get a problem. In this scenario we start to get a build-up of gas which causes bloating and distension of the stomach and abdomen area which in turn results in cramps and pain.

Such cramps can spread to your intestines and even cause lower back pain. If the cramps are really severe, even your middle back can be affected by intense pains. As a knock on effect bloating can cause the tensing of muscles which again can cause back pain.

Treatment For Excess Gas

There’s three general treatment options:

  1. Diet: Simply reducing intake of the following may well be enough to resolve the problem. High fiber foods and fiber supplements, dairy products, fatty foods, substitutes for sugar and carbonated drinks.
  2. Over The Counter Medications: There’s so many different products out there but we suggest you check withyour pharmacist to find the right one for you.
  3. Lifestyle: Simple changes to the way we eat and drink can make a difference. Smaller portions, chewing more, eating slowly and avoiding actions that result in greater air intake (chewing gum, drinking through a straw etc) along with taking more exercise and giving up the cigarettes can all help.

Can Constipation Be The Cause Of Your Lower Back Pain Or Sciatica?

Gas And Constipation Causing Lower And Middle Back PainConstipation is defined as a condition causing an individual to have three or less bowel movements a week. Alternatively it also relates to bowel movements with small, hard and dry stools that are very often hard and sometimes very painful to pass. It can result in the sufferer having an uncomfortable or painful bloated sensation around the abdomen region.

It can be termed acute which means its onset is sudden but short lasting (most of us have suffered from this at some point in our lives) or chronic whereby the symptoms can last for much longer periods – years in some cases.

Constipation means that the body isn’t getting rid of waste properly via regular bowel movements – the result, a build up of waste, which we know as stool, within the large intestine. If the stool is not passed it will change in consistency and harden to the point that it becomes more and more difficult to pass. This can result in back pain in two ways:

A: The blocked lower intestine becomes distended and is likely to cause a pressure, discomfort, bloating or feeling of being full, not just in the abdomen area but can also extend into the lower back too. This uncomfortable type pressure will worsen the longer the constipation lasts as the body will continue to produce waste even though it’s not being excreted and so the build up and pressure will worsen. This back pain as a result of constipation will normally not be too severe and often more of discomfort, a dull ache or uncomfortable pressure type lower back pain.

B: The act of trying to pass a constipated stool is hard, even the act of trying can result in the body puts the lower back muscles at risk by straining them. This strain all too often will affect the nerves in the area and hence cause a pain in the lower back region. It may not sound much but this pain can actually be quite severe in some cases.

How do you know it is constipation causing your lower back pain:

  • Consistent and persistent pain that gets worse during your motions.
  • The pain spreads way above your lower and middle back.
  • The pain becomes more intense with time, and pain medications don’t help.

Constipation can also result sciatic nerve compression and hence be a non-spinal factor that causes sciatica – an intense lower back pain that travels right down to your leg it is a case of sciatica.

Treatment For Constipation

Just as constipation is common so are the treatment options with a plethora of home remedies, over the counter solutions and prescription drugs available. In fact there are so many different solutions it can be completely confusing – from a high fiber diet combined with plenty of water and exercise, to high powered over the counter or prescribed laxatives which are only designed to be used occasionally. We’re not going to prescribe a solution for you but suggest that you talk to your doctor, physician or pharmacist who will be able to make a recommendation based on your own personal symptoms.

Useful Links

American Gastroenterological Association Technical Review on Constipation

Harvard Medical School – Gas