Acid Reflux and Back Pain – Are They Related?



Posted: Friday, March 30, 2007

by
Naturally Stop Acid Reflux

Though the problems you will have with heartburn are related to your digestive system, you may not have considered that there is a relationship between acid reflux and back pain. Though not usually a direct link, you can develop pains in your back when you are suffering from reflux. It won’t cause any damage directly, but there are some measures you can take to stop pain from starting in the first place. Sometimes your back problems will be related, and other times the two will have nothing to do with each other at all.

In general, acid reflux is the name for recurrent heartburn. The acid produced in your stomach meant to aid in digestion is supposed to stay in the stomach. The stomach can handle the acid with no damage or side effects. However, if this acid backs up into the esophagus and even up into the mouth, you are going to have serious problems.

There is a ring of muscles where the esophagus and the stomach meet and at times these fail to close properly. This allows acid to go where it should not be, and the end result is pain and sometimes permanent damage to the tissues. Acid reflux sufferers who only have occasional symptoms find that a dose of over-the-counter medicine does the trick, however those with have more frequent bouts probably need a prescription or to make some serious lifestyle changes.

You may wonder how something like this could affect your back? Though it’s not something that everyone has to worry about, there are times when the pain associated with acid reflux will feel like a stabbing type pain in your back area. It’s not really the acid doing anything in your back it’s just that the pain in your chest is very intense, and it feels like its going through to your back. You should feel this when you are feeling pain in other areas that you know is symptomatic of your acid reflux problems. If it is happening at other times, it is probably not related at all.

There are other times when chronic back pain can be associated with acid reflux, but it really is in a way that you may not consider to be a direct link. When the acid comes up into your throat and mouth, you experience all types of things. You can have pain, and there can be other things like sinus problems and problems with breathing. When you are lying down at night, the acid can move up your esophagus easily. This means a person with reflux usually sleeps with the upper body positioned higher than the rest of the body. That stops much of the acid from moving up. When you sleep in this position for prolonged periods without proper support, you can hurt your back. Though it’s not a direct connection, it certainly is something that can happen.

You will know when your acid reflux and back pain are connected, and if you are sleeping awkwardly enough to hurt your back, you probably know it. When you are feeling back pain that seems to have a mind of its own, you should realize it probably does not have anything to do with your acid reflux, and you might want to talk to your doctor. There may be something else going on with your body, and you want to know as soon as you can so that you can start feeling better.

By Kathryn Whittaker. Sign up for a free newsletter that has proven methods for tackling Acid Reflux, Heartburn and GERD head-on and discover more about acid reflux and back pain . In the newsletter you'll also find more about the different kinds of acid reflux help and what to do if you have severe heartburn.

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