Acid Reflux and Back Pain: Partners in Crime

You may have never put the two together but acid reflux and back pain
can be connected. Whether they present themselves together or
separately, the pain can be excruciating. Understanding the connection
will help alleviate symptoms.

Acid reflux is the result of acid rising up the esophagus from the
stomach. The acid is necessary aid to digestion but it is supposed to
stay in the stomach where it is produced. When the flap at the top of
the stomach is not working to keep the acid there where it belongs, acid
reflux occurs.

The pain and discomfort caused by acid reflux can range from mild
heartburn to severe stabbing pain. It might occur only occasionally and
can be remedied with over the counter medicine or it might be a daily
problem that requires a prescription to ease the pain.

Acid reflux pain can range from very low in the abdomen all the way up
the chest. The pain radiates so that unless you are aware of having the
condition, you may not even be able to pin point is origin. In addition
to the stomach and chest, the pain sears at your sides like a cramp and
up your back and neck. The upper back and neck pain is most commonly
described as stabbing and it feels like you are being stabbed through
the chest and out the back and shoulder blades.

When the back pain in question is lower back pain, more thought has to
be put into the whole picture. If you suffer from chronic lower back
pain, however, there is a good chance that this is related to your acid
reflux, as well, but not as a direct result of the actual acid reflux
attack.

Doctors recommend not eating near bedtime, as well as sleeping with the
head and upper body slightly elevated. The experimenting and change in
position and habit puts stress on the lower back, especially if the
experimenting puts your body in improper alignment. The reason the
connection is not made immediately to the acid reflux is because the
damage occurs over time, applying a little more strain each night, so
that when the pain actually presents itself, the reflux does not come to
mind. In fact, it is commonly blamed on something else that recently
happened and another thought is not given to it.

The best course of action for acid reflux and the back pain that
accompanies it is to eat a balanced diet and not over eat in a sitting,
as well as daily exercise including yoga which strengthens the muscles
in your back and stomach as well as improves your posture.