Focusing On My Back Injuries

Cardiovascular Disease And Back Pain

15 October 2019

Timothy Byrd

If you have cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, then you may have experienced chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, and fatigue. While these are the most common manifestations of cardiovascular disorders, other symptoms such as back pain may also occur. Here are some ways cardiovascular disease can lead to back pain and what you can do about them.

Inflammatory Response

If you have heart disease, you may also have arterial inflammation. While arterial inflammation is considered a local type of inflammation, it can trigger body-wide, or systemic inflammation. Arterial inflammation promotes the release of cytokines, which are pro-inflammatory chemicals that can further raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. In addition, pro-inflammatory cytokines can also cause muscle and joint inflammation, leading to back pain, hip discomfort, and limited mobility.

If you have heart disease coupled with back pain, visit both your cardiologist and your chiropractic physician. Your chiropractor can offer you non-pharmaceutical treatment options to manage your pain.

People who have cardiovascular disease often take multiple medications, and because of this, drug-free pain reduction therapies are often recommended because pain medications can interact with your heart medications. Your chiropractor may recommend spinal manipulation or a relaxing massage to help promote optimal blood flow to your muscles and the other structures that support your spinal cord.

Drug Side Effects

If you have cardiovascular disease, then your doctor may have prescribed beta blockers or statin medications used to manage high cholesterol. Beta blockers can cause muscle weakness, while statin medications can cause severe muscle pain. In fact, unrelenting muscle pain is one of the most common reasons people discontinue statin therapy.

While you should never stop taking your cardiovascular medications without talking to the prescribing physician, if you suffer from back discomfort as a result of your medications, the medications may need to be replaced with ones that are less likely to cause side effects.

Weight loss, consuming a healthy diet, not smoking, and getting enough exercise may help to naturally lower your cholesterol so that you don't need statin drugs. These same interventions may also help lower your blood pressure so that your beta blocker dosage can be lowered. After your medications have been adjusted or discontinued, make an appointment with your chiropractor. In addition to spinal manipulation treatments and massage, he or she can recommend exercises to help improve posture, restore optimal mobility, and relieve back problems.

If you have heart disease, work with both your cardiologist and chiropractic physician. When you visit both of these doctors on a regular basis, you will be less likely to experience pain-causing systemic inflammation and medication-related back pain. 

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