Dehydration Could Be the Source of Your Back Pain
Did you know that almost 70% of your body is made of water? Naturally, drinking enough water throughout the day is essential to your optimal health. Most people make the mistake of not drinking enough water. They take only a few swigs of water and that too when they feel thirsty. Over the long term, this habit dehydrates their body.
Dehydration is a significant health ailment. Dehydration and lower back pain or pain in the abdominal are just a few of the health issues that those not drinking enough water face. Some of the prevalent symptoms of dehydration include dizziness, dry mouth and skin, and fatigue. These are just some warning signs that should make you realize that your body is indeed running low on water, and you should start hydrating it.
How Can Dehydration Cause Lower Back and Abdominal Pain
A woman feeling back pain, Credit: Pixabay
You might be wondering, how can dehydration cause lower back pain? The answer is simple. Your spinal cord consists of a string of vertebrates. Between every two vertebrates lies a disc. Its function is to support you and facilitate the mobility of the spine. On the outside, these discs are composed of fiber, but they have a gelatinous substance on the inside. This substance is primarily made of water and mainly supports your spine.
Your daily activities cause wear and tear to your spinal cord. It leads to the discs losing their water levels as water leaks out from them. Water is pulled down your spine through gravity in normal circumstances, and your discs can rehydrate themselves. But in the absence of enough water in your body, the discs cannot rehydrate themselves. So they begin to shrink.
When your discs are dehydrated, all the pressure is put on the outer ring of the disc. That part cannot take so much load. It begins to collapse under pressure. As this collapse starts, the spinal nerves begin to receive the pressure, causing you to wince in pain. Thus, dehydration and lower back ache are intimately related to each other.
Dehydration and abdominal pain
There are many water receptors in your large intestine. They take water from the body to soften the stools. One of the most prominent signs of dehydration is constipation, along with cramps and abdominal pain.
Along with abdominal pain, severe dehydration can also lead to a buildup of wastes in your kidney. They lose the ability to excrete the waste products, which in the long term, is extremely harmful to their health. Thus, a symptom of dehydration lower back pain kidney is a persistent pain on the side of your back.
How To Address Lower Back Pain Caused By Dehydration?
Drink adequate water
Drink more water if you’re active
Take a look at your urine
1. Drink Adequate Water
A glass of water, Credit: Pixabay
Ensure that you drink at least 6-8 glasses of water every day. This quantity should be increased in the summer season. You sweat more when the weather is humid. So you have to double your water intake.
2. Drink More Water If You’re Active
Man drinking water, Credit: Pixabay
When you’re more active or working out, you lose more water than the average person in the form of sweat. You need to make sure that you’re compensating for the amount of water lost by drinking enough of it afterward. Drink water 2-3 hours before you exercise and 30 minutes after you finish working out.
3. Take a Look at Your Urine
Urine samples, Credit: Pixabay
Just looking at the color of your urine can help you know whether you’re dehydrated or not. Dark-colored urine indicates that your body is not receiving enough water. On the other hand, light-colored urine is proof that you’re well hydrated.
Thus, you see how important water is to the maintenance of your overall health. You need to make a habit of consciously drinking enough water if you’re not already doing so. It may take some time in the beginning, but it will be worth the effort.