If I had a dollar for every back pain sufferer who said to me "There’s nothing I can do about my back pain. My mother had it. My brother had it. It just runs in the family," I’d be one wealthy lady. While I personally disagree that there’s nothing they could do about their backaches, research does suggest a relationship between genetics and back pain.
Up until just a few years ago, the prevailing opinion on the question of whether back pain runs in families was no. Experts generally believed that most back pain is a result of aging and wear and tear on the spine. They reasoned that the spine, and in particular, the intervertebral discs endure the load, impact and microtrauma that comes with participation in daily activities and sports. Over time the disc wears down, which causes pain. Period. End of story.
Then in 2009, a study from University of Alberta that had, for 10 years, compared pairs of Finnish twins with diametrically opposed job requirements and leisure activities revealed that disc degeneration, or the wearing down and drying out of the intervertebral discs, was correlated more with genetics than with occupational hazard. The researchers in this study also began to identify the specific genes that are responsible for inheriting back pain.
The researchers found that anthropometric factors - things like body weight and muscle strength - play a bigger role in the development of disc related back pain than the things you do during the day.
The only exception was smoking. I hope I don’t have to tell you that smoking is just plain bad for your health. In addition to upping your risk for heart disease and lung disease, smoking has been shown to speed the disc degeneration process (another reason to quit or not start). Members of the twin pairs who smoked did have more disc degeneration than those who refrained. Other than that, the study showed that outside influences did less to bring on the back pain than the inherited ones.
The researcher who led the team did a follow up project later in 2009. In this study, she examined twins for their ability to withstand loading of the spine and discs. She paired overweight and healthy weighted twins. Overweight, in this case, represented spinal loading, in much the same way lifting heavy objects might. The result was that loading did not result in disc degeneration. This finding added more support to the hypothesis that genetics plays a role in the development of disc related back pain. This study also showed that a little bit of loading may be a good thing for the spine.
The hunt for back pain genes continues with new research projects, as of August 2010. The researchers from the Finnish study and the spinal loading study have isolated 25 genes. They are currently studying the interaction between those genes and the environment.
As we wait for the results of the new studies, let's not use this research as a reason to procrastinate doing back exercises. Although back pain may well run in families, a healthy lifestyle still plays a central role in its prevention and management. For back pain sufferers and those who seek to prevent back pain, you can’t beat exercise, especially core strengthening. So no excuses - it’s time to get back to the gym or back on the exercise mat. Your spine health awaits you!
Sources:
Michele C. Battié, PhD., et. al. The Twin Spine Study: Contributios to a changing view of disc degeneration. Spine Journal. Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages 47-59 (January 2009) Accessed: Aug 2010 http://www.thespinejournalonline.com/article/S1529-9430%2808%2901440-X/abstract
Tapio Videman, MD, PhD., et. al. Challenging the cumulative injury model: positive effects of greater body mass on disc degeneration. The Spine Journal. Volume 10, Issue 1. Accessed: Aug 2010. http://www.thespinejournalonline.com/article/S1529-9430%2809%2901022-5/abstract
University of Alberta (2009, March 17). Genes Linked To Spinal Disc Degeneration Identified. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 22, 2010. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312092438.htm
