Could Too Much Caffeine Be Causing You Back Pain?

Two things we know to be true:

1. Low Back Pain is the single leading cause of disability amongst workers worldwide & Most people have had it at least once! 
2. We have become a much more caffeinated world. The world is buzzing on lattes, cappuccinos, and Fraps.

So.. what does this all mean? 

It means with the increased need for caffeine, there is obviously a need for more output, more time on the job, and a fatiguing/ exhausted worker that needs a "push/ pick me up" to get him/her through their day, week, month, and year. 

When it comes to increasing energy synthetically, you have two choices: caffeine or amphetamines.

Some people today are even resorting to a widely abused drug, Adderall, which acts as an amphetamine- even though the intended use is Focus.

Where does that back pain come in? There has been research available that suggests with high consumption of caffeine, other negative behaviors are also associated such as lack of sleep, drug abuse, poor eating, smoking, and other negative behaviors- all of which can effect the back. 

That sounds great, but let me dice this up a little bit more in layman's terms: Chronic Lower Back pain has multiple origins. 

Somebody can have lower back pain due to injury, poor posture, repetitive postures, length length discrepancies, poor hip mobility, mental stress and anxiety, as well as anything else (caffeine) that may overly excite the nervous system and cause STRESS.

When somebody has pain, that area is basically a STRESS SITE- so when we think about caffeine, it causes excitability, anxiousness, and excess tension in the body.... this is also usually coupled by fatigue.. a breeding ground for muscular distress. 

So when we see articles or claims about caffeine causing back pain, is it the actual caffeine or is it the persons lifestyle that is causing the lower back discomfort? 

It could be both... or caffeine may be just the catalyst for a broken down body.

If you are somebody that has chronic back issues and have gotten all of the above looked at, as well as put yourself on a strong core strengthening program- then it can't hurt to do a caffeine detox for 7-21 days and see how you feel. 

Sometimes just a small lifestyle modification can be the catalyst to more change- and a mindset shifting. You never know until your try.

My thoughts are: STRESS IS THE CAUSE OF MOST OF YOUR PAIN. #TrainLikeAPro