David Heber, MD, Professor of Medicine, Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, discusses low back pain and weight loss, and talks about how 10 pounds of weight in the upper body translates to a 40 pound load on the knees. Helping patients reduce their weight can help prevent back surgery and the health care cost of back pain.

Reading:
Lewis SE, Fowler NE.Changes in intervertebral disk dimensions after a loading task and the relationship with stature change measurements.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2009 Oct;90(10):1795-9.
Khoueir P, Black MH, Crookes PF, Kaufman HS, Katkhouda N, Wang MY.Prospective assessment of axial back pain symptoms before and after bariatric weight reduction surgery.Spine J. 2009 Jun;9(6):454-63. Epub 2009 Apr 8.
Astudillo L, Pugnet G, Sailler L, Giron J, Arlet P.[Lumbar pain and weight loss]Rev Med Interne. 2008 Mar;29(3):236-7. Epub 2007 Jun 8. French

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