Acid Reflux and Back Pain – Is Back Pain a Heartburn Symptom?

If you have heartburn and back pain, then you need to read this article, as it just may be the only place online where you will find the answer to the connection between these two problems.

Until today, I had never heard of back pain mentioned as one of the symptoms of heartburn, a reader has brought it to my attention that many sites list back pain as one of the heartburn symptoms.
After thoroughly reviewing the research, right now there is no evidence that suggests that acid reflux can lead to back pain, at least not with any regularity. I suspect someone inaccurately reported this on a personal website or blog, and then others simply accepted it as truth without investigating the claim.
Fortunately, there are three reasons why you might experience both heartburn-like symptoms and back pain at the same time, which may help answer why you are experiencing both acid reflux and back pain.

In many cases, what is perceived as acid reflux could be something different altogether. The number one contender which matches up with heartburn-like symptoms and back pain is gallbladder disease, such as gallstones.
Gallstones are infamous for their uncanny ability to refer pain to other parts of the body. One group of researchers reported that 63% of gallstone patients experienced back pain (1). Out of the 220 studied patients, 66% of the patients reported general stomach pain, whereas 3% reported pain behind the sternum (1).
Furthermore, 77% of studied patients said their pain came late in the evening or at night (1). Acid reflux pains also typically occur at night. It is very possible that nighttime sternum or general stomach pain could easily be confused for heartburn.

Given the high correlation of gallbladder disease and back pain, people who are experiencing “acid reflux” and back pain at the same time may be indeed the result of gallbladder disease instead of reflux. If you experience these two symptoms, you should make an appointment with your doctor so that he (or she) can sort things out.

Another possible reason that heartburn and back pain may occur together is due to poor posture. One group of researchers found that elderly patients with extreme kyphosis (rounding of the upper spine) were very likely to experience heartburn (2). In the particular study, the researchers were able to use the same medication to treat both back pain and acid reflux, though the medicine seemed to reduce the production of stomach acid as a side effect (2).

However, the correlation between the two suggests that it is possible (but certainly yet to be proven) that abnormal postures might lead to both heartburn and back pain (2). This is most likely to occur in the elderly population or in those with osteoporosis (2).

The final reason why acid reflux and back pain may be connected is simply due to correlation rather than causation. If you are unfamiliar with this term, if two things are correlated, it means that the two events seem to occur together, but may not directly influence each other. Both events could simply have the same causative factor.

There is one factor that is a strong causative factor for both acid reflux and back pain: obesity. Both adults and children who are obese are much more likely to develop both heartburn and back pain (3, 4).
As a result, people who have both acid reflux and back pain may just be feeling the effects of obesity. Obesity puts undue stress on the back and stomach, which may cause both acid reflux and back pain and causes many more problems than people realize (3).

Note: For those that do not understand correlation versus causation, read this quick analogy. Both drownings and ice cream consumption are correlated – as ice cream consumption increases, so does the number of people who drown. Correlation simply refers to the numbers increase or decrease at the same time.

This is just causation (which means one thing actually causes another thing to happen), as eating ice cream does not lead to people drowning. However, both have the same underlying factor: summer-time and warm weather. Warm weather causes people to both want to eat ice cream and go swimming.
Note that some heartburn remedies recommended on this site aid digestion and could even reduce gallbladder symptoms, but will not fix the problem. Additionally, certain foods can trigger gallbladder pain attacks (1).
Because of the high number of similarities between these two conditions, it is not surprising that people may mix up these up or associate acid reflux with back pain.

The bottom line is that acid reflux does not cause back pain. If you are experiencing both heartburn and back pain, see a doctor, as this is not a normal condition and may not be acid reflux at all! Of course, referred pain is within the realm of possibility, but if that is the case it is best to hear that coming from your doctor rather than just assuming it is the case (since it is rare if it occurs at all).

If your doctor tells you really do just have both acid reflux and back pain, consider a weight loss plan (if you are overweight), as well as working your posture, as these two things are likely to help out both your acid reflux and your back pain.

Educating Yourself About Acid Reflux Foods To Avoid

Educating Yourself About Acid Reflux Foods To Avoid
Knowing your enemy and knowing oneself is a vital idiom to learn. Your enemy in this case is are those sapping pains and restless nights caused by acid reflux disease. Yet there are positive steps to take to alleviate the problem.

For a start it is important to understand the fact that certain foods and drinks can trigger acid reflux and if you suffer from the complaint then you certainly know about acid reflux and the foods to avoid.

The acid reflux foods to hedge include:Dairy productsBreads and wheat productsSpicy foodsFried foods
There are very few people who have to will power to say no when it comes to that tasty fried rump steak, yet if it is going to kick off your acid reflux pain then isn’t it better to say no and to go with one of the many foods that can actually have a positive influence on your acidity?

The fat and extra pack of protein in a beef steak, as in a great many other foods, will in an instant, throw a switch to your acid producing system. Your body knows that it requires the extra acid to breakdown the food that you have just ingested. Fried beefsteak is just one of the acid reflux foods to avoid.

Many people with acid reflux the problem lies in a loosened lower esophagus sphincter. It is this that permits the acidic contents of the gut to seep back into the gullet, hence causing severe irritation and pain.

You wouldn’t ever consider it a safe option to go into your garage at the end of the day, taking out you automobile battery and pouring yourself a long, hot drink, even over ice! Yet the acid produced by your gut is exactly the same thing. Battery acid is highly potent and so is stomach acid. It is an easy matter for it to burn into your esophagus. Your stomach has an amazing way of dealing with the problem; it produces a highly efficient mucus membrane that lines the gut and prevents any acid attack. You should learn to understand which acid reflux foods to avoid.

Acid Reflux Healing Naturally
Thankfully there is another route to acid reflux healing. It is absolutely not unavoidable that you will have to take prescribed medication and doctor issued drugs.

A few simple, good thought out changes in your lifestyle can work wonders for your learn.

Firstly, learn of the basic acid reflux foods to fudge and seek to delete these from your regular diet.
Raise your taking while sleeping – use and extra pillowAvoid pasta dishesAvoid fatty meatsAvoid eating after 8pmKeep a diary for a few weeks to help identify those foods that cause acid refluxAvoid caffeine-based drinks

Sure there are always going to be times when you fall behind in your plans but you’ll soon learn about those acid reflux foods to avoid. Educate yourself.



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Stomach Ulcer Symptoms or Just Heartburn?

 Ulcers typically occur in the duodenum, which is found just past the pyloric sphincter. A minority of ulcer cases occur in the stomach itself.
Stomach ulcers symptoms and heartburn symptoms are very similar, causing many people to confuse these two conditions. In this article, we will be revealing to DCDDISCs readers some simple methods for telling these two conditions apart.

Stomach Ulcer Symptoms vs Heartburn
The primary reason for the confusion between stomach ulcer symptoms and heartburn symptoms is due to the fact that both can result in burning stomach pain. However, there are some simple ways to tell these two conditions apart.

Here is a list:
Stomach ulcer symptoms are worse an empty stomach and typically get better after eating. Heartburn symptoms on the other hand typically peak after eating (or within an hour or two of eating).
The end result is that people who have stomach ulcer symptoms may find themselves getting woken up in the middle of the night or early in the morning with burning stomach pain.

Those who suffer from heartburn will rarely make it to bed in the first place; they will experience their heartburn symptoms right when lying down and may not make it asleep in the first place!
Peptic ulcer symptoms typically center on burning stomach pain, whereas heartburn centers on burning chest pain.

I think this is a pretty simple distinction; most people with ulcer pain will feel it right around their stomach, whereas heartburn is typically felt in the chest, directly behind the sternum along the mid-line of the torso.
Heartburn symptoms can often be manipulated by changing body position, whereas stomach ulcer symptoms tend to remain constant.

If you experience a surge in symptoms if you bend forward or lie down, odds are you are dealing with heartburn. Stomach ulcer symptoms typically not easily manipulated simply by changing body position.
Stomach ulcer symptoms do not respond to heartburn remedies, whereas heartburn remedies can be used to significantly reduce heartburn symptoms.

A lot of heartburn remedies, such as chewing gum, can reduce heartburn symptoms. This remedy aids digestion by producing saliva and encouraging the digestion of food. Many people suffering from heartburn will experience immediate relief from symptoms as soon as they start chewing on a piece of gum.
On the other hand, ulcer symptoms are not easily remedied except via eating food or usage of a stomach-coating agent such as pepto-bismol. Those who suffer from stomach ulcer symptoms are not likely to get relief unless they are able to do something to reduce the severity of their ulcer.

Both serious ulcers and heartburn may result in chronic symptoms.
The most important thing to know about both stomach ulcer symptoms and heartburn is that both conditions warrant doctor attention should they become chronic.

Ulcers rarely go away on their own and typically need antibiotic treatment. Heartburn on the other hand, if it occurs over time, may actually be gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD for short.

If both conditions are left untreated, serious complications may result. Due to this, if you experience either stomach ulcer symptoms or heartburn symptoms on a regular basis you will want to talk to your doctor to see if you need treatment.


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