The Interesting Relationship Between Vitamin D and Chronic Back Pain

Vitamin D and Back PainMoms.  Always so ready with the good advice.  Remember these? Put on a sweater, it might get cold later (in July?)! Don’t seat so close to the TV, you’ll go blind! Don’t swim after eating, you’ll get a cramp and drown! These gems, while a little absurd, were always dispensed with much love and good intentions.  Mom, however, really did know best sometimes, like when she encouraged you to take your vitamins so you could grow up strong and healthy.  And if you suffer from chronic back or neck pain, this might have been, and might still be, the best advice mom ever gave you.

Over the past 10 years, researchers have set out to prove that vitamin deficiency, more specifically vitamin D deficiency, can lead to, among other things, increased musculoskeletal pain.  The problem is that getting the proper amount of vitamin D is actually more difficult than getting the correct amount of other vitamins.  In fact, when people are diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency, vitamin D is most often the culprit.  

Vitamin D: The Powerhouse Vitamin

Vitamin D is vital for general good health. It boosts our immune system, it supports healthy heart function and blood circulation and it promotes healthy lungs and airways. Vitamin D is a hormone. Every single tissue in our bodies has vitamin D receptors, including all bones, muscles, immune cells, and brain cells (Modafinil).

On the other hand, a severe vitamin D deficiency can lead to major health conditions including Rickets in children and Osteomalacia in adults. A very debilitating outcome of these diseases is soft, thin, and brittle bones.  

Unfortunately, getting the right amount of vitamin D is not as simple as getting the right amounts of other vitamins since it doesn’t just depend on good nutrition alone. Unlike other vitamins which we need to ingest, our bodies are actually programmed to manufacture our own vitamin D when we expose our skin to sunlight (something we don’t do as much given what we now know about sun exposure and it’s relation to skin cancer).

One of the most important benefits of Vitamin D is its contribution to building the strength of our bones and developing the structure of our skeletal system.  Here is how.  In order to achieve optimum bone health it is necessary for our bodies to absorb large amounts of phosphorous and calcium.  

Steady levels of Vitamin D are essential because they facilitate the absorption of these important bone-building minerals into our bodies. Strong bones and a sound structure can help stave off many common causes of back and neck pain.

Research and Studies

Vitamin D may also contribute to increased muscle performance, reduce falls, and possibly impact on muscle fiber composition.  

In one recent study, initial analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showed that elderly people treated with vitamin D supplements demonstrated a decreased risk of falls than their peers who were not given supplements.  The team that conducted the study posited that the decreased risk of falls may have been due to the improved neuromuscular function in patients whose vitamin D was raised to normal levels in the blood (30-40 ng/mL) via supplements.  In fact, most observational studies have shown that elderly test subjects who reached proper vitamin D levels displayed increased muscle strength and postural stability.

Another recent study conducted by the Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry found low vitamin D levels were strongly associated with patients suffering from chronic back pain of unknown origins.

Researchers recruited 200 patients with low back pain who were then compared to 200 healthy control subjects.  The study found that more than half of the patients with chronic low back pain had significantly diminished vitamin D levels when compared with their healthy counterparts. Additionally, their CRP and RA (CRP is an indicator of general inflammation in the body, while RA factors refer to an antibody level that rises with immune mediated arthritis) levels tended to be higher than those of the subjects of the control group.

Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that not getting enough vitamin D may well be linked to chronic pain.  They found the results to be compelling enough to justify and advocate alimentary supplementation of vitamin D to avoid deficiency in patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain.

Greg Plotnikoff, MD, a senior consultant with the Allina Center for Health Care Innovations in Minnesota, recalls the story of a woman who was suffering greatly with severe pain all over her body, including her lower back.  By the time she came to him, she had seen many doctors, most of whom dismissed her with a quick prescription or referral to physical therapy.  Dr. Plotnikoff decided to treat her with aggressive, high-dose prescription-grade vitamin D supplements.  After six months, “the woman could cross off every symptom on her three-page list”, Dr. Plotnikoff relates.  

Encouraged by the results, Dr. Plotnikoff published a study in 2003 on 150 people who walked into a Minneapolis community health clinic suffering from chronic back pain. Interestingly, a whopping 93% of them, most women of childbearing age, had extremely low vitamin D levels.  After Dr. Plotnikoff and his team replenished their vitamin D levels, most subjects noted a substantial marked reduction in their pain, with many thanking the Doctor for “giving them their life back”.

Vitamin D:  Miracle cure for musculoskeletal pain?

While some studies have shown that vitamin D plays an important part in controlling musculoskeletal pain, other studies have revealed either little or no connection between vitamin D and chronic pain.  In fact, a research review published in January 2010 showed that the evidence on the subject is inconclusive. However, given the importance of vitamin D to so many of our body’s systems and functions, it’s clear enough that we should err on the side of caution.  While vitamin D may not cure the hurt, it definitely can’t hurt to make sure we keep up our vitamin D levels through healthy eating, nutritional supplements and moderate exposure to the sun.

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