Vitamins, Minerals & Back Pain
You will soon be seeing us stocking supplements here at Pyramid Health. But you may be wondering why the back people are concerning themselves with nutrition? In this article, we’ll cover:
What are Vitamin Deficiencies?
Am I At Risk?
What Can I Do About a Vitamin Deficiency?
Do You Take Supplements?
What are vitamin deficiencies?
Vitamin deficiencies are a lack of certain substances in the body that are important for some cellular process. This definition is very vague so we can talk about some of the best known deficiencies. A critical lack of Vitamin C famously causes scurvy, while a severe Vitamin D deficiency will lead to rickets. While not many of the patients we see in the clinic will suffer from either of these conditions, it is still important to consider mild vitamin and mineral deficiencies, even in the context of musculoskeletal care.
Vitamins and Minerals are Important Co-Factors in Many Bodily Processes
Vitamin C, for example, has an important role to play in:
Energy production
Collagen (connective tissue) production
Wound Healing
Iron Absorption
Mopping up damage-causing “free radicals”
The importance of some of these (wound healing) may be immediately obvious, however all of these processes are critical for the healing process. Collagen cannot be made without Vitamin C - this is why scurvy sufferers’ bodies literally fall apart. So you can start to understand how a mild deficiency can lead to impaired healing.
What are the most common deficiencies?
Vitamin D (43-87% of the population deficient) and B vitamin deficiencies can cause all of the following:
Fatigue
Bone or Muscle Pain
Muscle Weakness
Frequent Illness
Mood Changes (Such as Depression, Anxiety, or Irritability)
B vitamins such as Vitamin B6, B9 (Folate) and B12 can also cause:
Tingling and Numbness
Cognitive Impairment
Skin Problems: (Rashes, sores at the corners of the mouth, sore tongue)
You may be starting to see the relevance of vitamin and mineral deficiencies to the considerations of musculoskeletal care.
Low levels of Magnesium are estimated to be found in 20-40% of the population, and can cause:
Muscle cramps, twitches, weakness
Numbness, tingling, fatigue, insomnia, brain fog, headaches, personality changes.
Cardiovascular Problems: Irregular heartbeat, chest pain or tightness.
Digestive Issues: Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
More severe problems can arise from longer term or more intense vitamin and mineral deficiencies, however these are less commonly seen in our clinic.
Many of these symptoms (pain, fatigue, lack of sleep, nerve symptoms, brain fog) are very common complaints of patients that we see in the clinic. They also have many causes, so we can by no means say that these symptoms are definitively caused by nutritional deficiencies. However, as we have established, these deficiencies are common, and so should be considered as potentially contributing to the patient’s problem if the symptoms fit.
Often patients with simple vitamin deficiencies can be bounced from practitioner to practitioner with different diagnoses, with their treatments not quite having the desired effect and leaving practitioners scratching their heads. All the while their pain may be caused at least in part by a lack of some important ingredient in their body which no amount of treatment or rehab can correct!
Am I at Risk of Vitamin Deficiency?
Some important vitamins can be made by the body under certain conditions - like Vitamin D in the presence of UVB from the Sun. However many are “essential” vitamins or minerals - this simply being shorthand for the fact that the body cannot make these substances itself. We need to get these vitamins into our body through diet (or other means) or we simply lack them.
Do I have to worry if I have a balanced diet?
Perhaps worry is the wrong word, as hopefully the article should make clear that in the absence of the associated signs and symptoms, vitamin deficiencies should not be considered. However some of the symptoms (fatigue, brain fog, aches and pains) are astonishingly common and can easily be attributed to busy lives, stress or otherwise written off as “nothing really”!
And while a balanced diet definitely helps, it seems to be no guarantee against vitamin and mineral deficiency. Some commentators have suggested that this could be due to declining soil quality or intensive farming practices, or it could be the by-product of some other aspect of our modern food supply; but that conversation is beyond the purview of this article.
Surely the RDI is fine?
(aka I don’t have Rickets, surely my Vitamin D levels are OK)
Recommended Daily Intakes (RDI) aren’t always in line with the latest research and often are based on the minimum dosage required to stave off disease symptoms - like scurvy in the case of Vitamin C. However, there can be a wide gulf between “not outwardly diseased” and optimal, as you will see.
Below you can see a chart showing the likely symptoms associated with lower than optimal levels of Vitamin D in the blood. The NHS considers a level below 50 (i.e. the top two boxes) to be sufficiently low as to be treated. Remember that not everyone with a Vit D deficiency will get a blood test or even realise that their symptoms may be related to Vitamin D. As you can see, symptoms may still persist in the “insufficient” range, especially with a concomitant Magnesium deficiency.
Vitamin D is often known as the “sunshine vitamin” - your body will make A LOT of it given the right amount of sun exposure at the right time of year. In the UK, between April and September, if your shadow is shorter than you are (roughly 11am-4pm), your body will make plenty of vitamin D. Outside of these times however, the UVB is not strong enough for that to happen. So much so that by the end of winter, a huge proportion of the population will be lacking in VItamin D.
Medication and Vitamin Deficiency
It is also important tt note that if you take medication regularly, you may be at further risk of vitamin deficiency. Here’s a few examples of the deficiencies that can be caused or exacerbated by common medications:
Ibuprofen: Vitamin B6
Omeprazole: Iron, Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc, Folate, B12, Calcium, Protein
Statins: Vitamin D & CoQ10
Oral Contraceptive: Magnesium, B6, B12, Folate
Metformin: B12, Folate
Blood Pressure Medications: Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc
Anti-Depressants (inc Amitriptyline): Sodium
What Can I Do?
In short, the easiest treatment for a deficiency is to supplement.
Do I Need a Blood Test?
If you have symptoms suggestive of vitamin deficiency, blood tests like the ones from medichecks can provide some answers with regard to levels of these substances in the blood, however they are not foolproof. B12 levels in particular can be low even in the presence of a normal blood test. As discussed above, Vitamin D deficiency can occur at higher serum levels in those with certain genetic profiles or Magnesium deficiency. Often the best approach is to trial vitamin supplementation for 2-4 weeks. If you notice no difference after 4 weeks, it’s unlikely to be the culprit. Most patients will notice a clear difference in 5-14 days.
Common deficiencies are by definition more likely to be the cause of your problem than a rare deficiency, and generally speaking are cheaper to supplement!
If you’re looking for a supplement provider, we recommend IN Health.
Why IN Health?
It’s all about finding a supplement company you can trust. I’m sure there are many good supplement companies out there so if you’re happy with yours, please carry on. There are many reasons to like IN Health but and a key one is that the company has been developed by Simon Billings with a clear focus on enhancing the results of chiropractic care. You can read a bit about Simon’s journey here.
The difference in their products can be summed up in the video on this page but essentially, IN Health’s vitamins & minerals come:
In forms that are “active” rather than “inactive” - that is, easily absorbed by the body. It can be cheaper to produce supplements in forms that the body can’t easily extract and use, meaning that the effective dose is a lot lower than the listed dose.
In clinically meaningful doses - higher amounts of vitamins and minerals backed by research rather than the outdated and inadequate “Recommended Daily Intake”
With no traditional fillers or binders (which can compromise the absorption of vitamins and minerals). These can also irritate the gut lining and undermine the beneficial effects of the supplements being taken.
If you choose to buy from IN Health, please list “Mike Richards - Pyramid Health” as your referring practitioner from the drop down menu, or simply sign up using this link. This will allow us to recommend supplements for you directly through the website.
Do you take supplements?
Mike here! Yes, I’ve been taking the Wellness 3 Bundle which covers all of the most common deficiencies in one order, and I have to say that I’ve noticed a definite improvement in my energy and mood.