LOW BACK PAIN
Atherosclerosis and
Low Back Pain
by Laurie Endicott Thomas
Low back pain is our major cause of lost workdays and workers’ compensation claims in the United States, and heart attacks are our major cause of death. Research suggests that both problems result
from the same underlying cause: the high blood cholesterol
levels that result from eating the standard American diet. By
helping to raise their patients’ awareness of a heart-healthy
diet, chiropractors may help to reduce the patients’ risk of heart
attack, as well as helping to prevent damage to the structures
of the spinal column.
Atherosclerosis is the buildup of fatty material inside the
arteries. Autopsy studies have shown that fatty streaks start to
appear even in the arteries of children in Western industrialized societies. 1 As the disorder progresses, these deposits may
thicken and harden and eventually obstruct blood flow. When
atherosclerosis restricts blood flow to the heart muscle, it produces a form of chest pain called angina. If an atherosclerotic
lesion bursts and creates a blood clot, it can cause a sudden but
complete blockage of blood flow through the artery. As a result,
the tissue that the artery was supposed to supply with blood
could die of suffocation. This area of tissue death resulting from
obstruction of an artery is called an infarct. When this problem
occurs in the heart muscle, it’s called myocardial infarction.
When it occurs in the brain, it’s called a cerebral infarction or
ischemic stroke.
Atherosclerosis is a systemic problem and can cause problems
throughout the body. The atheromatous plaque tends to build up
at the spots where arteries divide into smaller branches. Thus,
the branching arteries that serve the lumbar spine are especially
susceptible. 2 The restriction of blood flow through the spinal
arteries is a particular problem for the intervertebral discs, be-
cause they already have limited access to oxygen and nutrients.
