Sufficient intake of magnesium may help muscle spasms and significantly reduce back pain. Taking vitamins and minerals can help with your lower back pain, but they also provide many benefits for your overall health. With proper diet and regular exercise, you may be able to prevent the recurrence of lower back pain.
Magnesium deficiency is diagnosed via a blood test and sometimes a urine test. Your doctor may order the blood test if you have symptoms such as weakness, irritability, abnormal heart rhythm, nausea and/or diarrhoea, or if you have abnormal calcium or potassium levels.
The research team concluded that receiving Mg through IV for 2 weeks and taking Mg capsules by mouth for 4 weeks may help reduce pain, and improve mobility in people with chronic low back and nerve pain.
One of the implications of low levels of magnesium is muscle fatigue, muscle pain, spasms and cramps, and tension headaches.
Vitamin D deficiency is significantly associated with lumbar disc degeneration and low back pain among postmenopausal women, according to research from Menopause.
Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency can cause or worsen neck and back pain and muscle spasm.
"Research has shown that magnesium supplementation may affect the brain functions that help lower stress and anxiety," Gorin says. It works by helping your body kick into the "rest and digest" state, or by activating your parasympathetic nervous system.
Every organ in the body, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys, needs the mineral magnesium. It also contributes to the makeup of teeth and bones.
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. Extreme magnesium deficiency can cause numbness, tingling, muscle cramps, seizures, personality changes, and an abnormal heart rhythm.
Mg is essential in the metabolism of vitamin D, and taking large doses of vitamin D can induce severe depletion of Mg. Adequate magnesium supplementation should be considered as an important aspect of vitamin D therapy.
Vitamin E may help ease back pain and soreness because it works by helping to repair damaged tissue. This vitamin also boosts immune system function, improves circulation, and aids in the healing process. Foods loaded with vitamin E include wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and almonds.
Lower back pain may trigger due to variety of causes. You may be surprised to know that your diet may have a crucial role to play. Lack of essential nutrients, most important of them being calcium and vitamin D, may also result in the excruciating pain.
In people having lack of Vitamin D, the muscle strength of waist, back, neck decreases. Decreased muscle strength can cause herniated disc and cervical discal hernia. All of this is reflected in the patient's pain.
Magnesium as a dietary supplement has been commonly used and studied for possible benefit to both acute and chronic pain, migraine, muscle cramps, and overall well-being.
One of the biggest factors is the presence of calcium in the diet, as high calcium foods can reduce your magnesium absorption (and vice versa). Foods containing sugar and caffeine may have similar effects.
If the level of magnesium in your blood is lower than 1.8 milligrams per deciliter, your levels are considered low. If your level is below 1.25 mg/dL, your condition is considered severe. Often, doctors may not find this condition until the levels are severely low. This is when symptoms often first appear.
You can test your magnesium levels by purchasing a simple at-home finger prick test kit which is then analysed at an accredited lab. Forth offers a number of blood tests which include magnesium such as our Nutri-check test and Menopause Health blood test.