Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: January 7, 2026
A study out of Brazil found that people with chronic back pain are at a much higher risk for other adverse health conditions than those without spine pain.
While the study only showed a correlation, not causation, it’s really not all that surprising that chronic back pain is tied to other health risks. Back pain can lead a person to live a more sedentary life, influence their dietary habits and affect their daily life in other negative ways, all of which can take a toll on our health.
Back Pain And Other Health Issues
To get a better understanding of the total effect that untreated back pain can have on a person’s life, researchers looked at the health data of nearly 90,000 people in a national health survey. They cross reference the health data of individuals with chronic back pain to see what other health conditions they were dealing with and compared those findings to those without back pain. They found that those with chronic back pain were:
- 17% more likely to report cardiovascular disease.
- 15% more likely to have arthritis.
- 12% more likely to have clinical depression.
- At an increased risk for other health issues like diabetes, asthma, other lung diseases and cancer.
Researchers want to learn more about this association, but they believe that all of these health issues oftentimes share similar underlying factors.
“While more research is needed to understand the link between chronic back pain and other non-communicable diseases, they often share underlying risk factors such as physical inactivity, obesity, stress and poor sleep,” said lead researchers Dr. Zambelli Pinto. “When these conditions occur together, the impact on daily life is significant. Adults with both back pain and arthritis, for example, are more than twice as likely to report serious limits on their ability to carry out everyday activities compared to those without this specific comorbidity.”
The study speaks to the importance of really trying to effectively manage your spine pain, as doing so can also lower your risk of other health issues. You may think you can just grit your teeth and get on with life if you have back pain, but this chronic issue could be unknowingly increasing your risk for more serious health issues, so don’t put off treatment any longer.
If you’d like to take the first step in overcoming your chronic back pain, look no further than the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute. Dr. Sinicropi and his team will help you understand your spine condition and develop an individualized plan for treating the underlying cause. Take back your health today by giving his office a call at (651) 430-3800.
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