Can back pain cause shortness of breath

Back pain can cause symptoms and issues in a number of other areas of our body. Nerve impingement can cause shooting pain in your arms and legs, while cervical spine tension can lead to headaches. One other area that can be affected by a back problem is your lungs and your ability to breathe. Today, we explore why back pain can sometimes make breathing difficult, and how to treat the issue.

Back Problems That Can Affect Breathing

The following spinal issues don’t always result in breathing issues, but inhibited breathing can be a symptom of each of these conditions:

• Spinal Muscle Strain – There are a lot of muscles between your spine and ribs, and straining or tearing one or more of these muscles can cause pain when taking a deep breath. This leads to the patient taking a bunch of smaller breaths to avoid affecting the muscle.
• Scoliosis – Scoliosis is a condition categorized by an abnormal sideways curvature of the spine. In more extreme cases, this spinal curvature can place extra pressure on the lungs, making breathing more difficult.
• Kyphosis – Kyphosis is another type of spinal curvature disorder, but this involves a forward curvature of the spine. Unaddressed kyphosis can eventually affect a person’s breathing ability.
• Obesity – Although it is not specifically a spinal condition, obesity can cause more issues for both your spine and your lungs. This excess weight puts more pressure on your spinal discs and on your lungs, which can cause problems for both.
• Pinched Nerve – A pinched nerve will not directly affect your lungs, but depending on the location of the compression, the movement of the lungs and your chest cavity as you inhale and exhale can lead to more compression and pain. Again, this leads to a person taking shallow breaths in order to avoid the sharp pain from disturbing the compressed nerve.

Treating Spine Problems Causing Breathing Issues

As is the case with many health conditions, the best way to treat the issue is to ensure you have a good understanding of the underlying problem. Muscle strains and pinched nerves are treated differently, so you need to visit a spine specialist to determine exactly what’s going on in order to move forward with the best treatment plan. With the help of a physical exam, asking questions and taking imaging tests, Dr. Sinicropi and his team can get to the bottom of your spine issue.

Once diagnosed, Dr. Sinicropi will walk you through an expected treatment plan. Again, specific treatment will depend on your individual diagnosis, but for breathing problems related to a muscle strain, pinched nerve or excess weight, a variety of conservative care measures can help alleviate discomfort and improve breathing. Physical therapy, rest, stretching exercises and muscle relaxers can all help you find relief.

For more serious cases or for certain spinal deformity issues, surgery may be on the table. These operations focus on stopping your spine from curving any further while also stabilizing the spine and improving any breathing issues. They tend to have very high success rates when performed by a skilled surgeon.

So if you are having back pain that is making breathing difficult or painful, don’t wait around to see if the problem will go away on its own. Reach out to a spine specialist today and get your spine and lungs back to normal. Contact Dr. Sinicropi’s office today for more information.

Spine pain comes in many forms, as do the array of symptoms it can present. However, one symptom that sometimes accompanies spine pain that should be taken seriously is shortness of breath. In this blog, we explain why you might be experiencing shortness of breath due to a spine injury, and what you should do if you’re having problems breathing after hurting your spine.

Shortness of Breath and Back Pain

Some spine ailments can leave a person feeling like they are unable to catch their breath, only able to breath with quick, short breaths or constantly feeling like you’ve just finished exercising and are out of breath. Sometimes this feeling of being unable to take a full breath can occur as a result of a pulled spinal muscle, while other times it can be the result of a more complicated spinal condition like scoliosis or kyphosis.

If you’re having trouble taking full breaths and you’re experiencing back pain, take a second to perform a self assessment. If you can pinpoint a reason as to why your back is hurting and you’re having trouble breathing, like you just got done playing basketball at the gym or you just ran a half marathon, you’re probably safe to let the injury heal with rest, physical therapy and monitoring. However, if you can’t account for a reason as to why either symptom is presenting itself, set up a consultation with a doctor or head into an emergency department. It’s also important to be able to differentiate between the symptoms of shortness of breath related to a spine injury and shortness of breath due to a heart attack. If you believe you’re suffering a heart attack, seek medical help immediately.

Treating Spine Pain and Shortness of Breath

Shortness of breath is a serious condition that can lead to other health problems like loss of consciousness or anxiety, so it’s imperative that you work to get the issue under control, either with conservative treatment or with the assistance of a doctor.

If you seek out a medical professional, the first thing they’ll do is conduct a physical examine to attempt and diagnose your condition. They may also conduct subsequent imaging tests to determine the root cause. If your shortness of breath is being caused by something simple like a pulled muscle or a muscle spasm, your doctor will likely prescribe rest, physical therapy, breathing exercises and medications to reduce spasms. The vast majority of breathing issues caused by physical injuries can be treated with simple home care measures. However, if your breathing issues are caused by a disc fracture or pinched nerve, surgery may be necessary.

Along a similar vein, if an underlying condition like scoliosis or kyphosis is what’s causing your breathing issues, a more hands-on treatment play will be necessary. These conditions are caused by an abnormal curvature of the spine, and depending on the degree of curvature, they are either treated with physical therapy and bracing or with surgery. Since the condition is jeopardizing your breathing, which is a critical function, treatment will be focused on restoring breathing function and ensuring it doesn’t get worse.

If you are experiencing shortness of breath and spine pain, don’t delay. Contact Dr. Sinicropi today.

Why A Spine Specialist Is Best Suited To Treat Your Back Pain

Odds are you have a general practitioner doctor that you trust when it comes to caring for your overall health. You visit them for your yearly physical, when the flu strikes, and when you suffer a minor injury. General practitioners are widely versed in an immense range of medical conditions, but they may not be the optimal option if you are dealing with problematic spine pain. Today, we explain why a spinal expert is a better option for your back pain than your general practitioner.

Why does my back pain cause shortness of breath?

Can a pinched nerve in back cause shortness of breath?

Is back pain related to breathing?