Inheriting Back Pain

Certain types of back problems may have a hereditary link. It's worth it to have your kids checked before problems set in! You understand that back pain may result from multiple causes, including improper lifting, trauma and emotional distress, but some wonder if hereditary factors can play a role in back pain. Certain spine conditions appear to be passed genetically from generation to generation. These include: Scoliosis – Abnormal spinal curves that run side to side, rather than front to back curves. Heredity is responsible for a 25% greater chance of developing abnormal spinal curves. Degenerative disc disease, disc herniation – A difference in the chemical properties of some people’s disks may render them more prone to fragmentation or herniation, conditions that trigger back pain. Osteoarthritis – Caused by the erosion of cartilage in spinal joints as a result of the aging process. A genetic predisposition for this condition is often passed down from the mother’s side of the family. Osteoporosis – Loss of bone mass that tends to occur mostly in older, post-menopausal women – the result of decreased estrogen production. Spondylolisthesis – A defect in a vertebra that may cause the vertebra to shift forward, out of alignment with the rest of the spinal column. This condition may result from a fracture and a genetic abnormality may predispose someone to a thin vertebra in the lumbar spine. Obesity-related back pain – Extra body weight adds undue pressure to the spine and increases the amount of pain associated with any existing back condition. But here's the catch. And it's a big one. The study of epigenetics is revealing that DNA is not our destiny. In other words, environmental and lifestyle decisions we make can profoundly affect whether certain inherited genes express themselves. So, the choices we make about nutrition, exercise and even the thoughts we think can interrupt unhealthy patterns we may inherit. It's one more reason to get regular chiropractic checkups to make sure our nervous system, the master system that controls everything, is in tiptop shape.