Category: Spine | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: January 26, 2026
One recommendation that we always give to heavier patients dealing with chronic back pain is that they should consider working towards a healthier weight. The weight of our body stresses our spine, so the more we weigh, the more stress our spine is under with each step we take. But how much more likely is a heavy individual to deal with back pain than someone who weighs less?
Researchers recently conducted a review to determine exactly how much more likely a person is to experience back pain as their weight increases. We explore this correlation in today’s blog on weight and spine pain.
How Your Weight Impacts Your Back Pain Risk
Not surprisingly, a person’s risk of developing back pain goes up as their weight increases, but how does weight and back pain risk correlate to one another? According to research published in the journal Pain Medicine, for every 10 pounds a person gains above their ideal weight, their risk of developing low back pain increases by 7%.
“The current study suggests weight control and maintaining a lower BMI in the healthy range can be beneficial for low back pain symptoms as well,” said lead researcher Dr. Michael Perloff, director of pain medicine at Boston Medical Center.
To come up with this figure, researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 110,000 adults treated at Boston Medical Center clinics between June 2021 and May 2022. Of this group 12% had been diagnosed with low back pain, and the research found that the number of people with low back pain increased as their weight rose from healthy to obese, based on their Body Mass Index.
From a low-healthy BMI of 18 to an obese BMI of 35, the prevalence of low back pain increased by 7% for every additional point of BMI, as every added point of BMI is around 10 pounds. Researchers said the risk levels out at a BMI of 35, or roughly 240 pounds. After that level of excess weight, low back pain does not continue to increase with additional weight gain.
“Our study strongly suggests that maintaining a healthy weight of BMI is likely helpful at avoiding low back pain,” said Dr. Perloff.
The overall sentiment isn’t really all that surprising, as we’ve known for quite some time that extra weight is a risk factor for back pain. However, putting a specific equation to the matter certainly helps to showcase just how much your risk rises as your weight increases. With this model, a person with a BMI of 32 is 70% more likely to be plagued by low back pain than a person with a BMI of 22. That’s pretty significant!
So if you’re hoping to control back pain symptoms or reduce your risk of developing back pain in the future, consider working towards a more ideal weight. Improve your diet, get more regular exercise and develop healthier sleep habits, and we’re confident that your waistline and your risk of back pain will decrease! For more information, or for help with a specific spinal concern, connect with Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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