Back pain heart problems

by Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR

Nathan Wei is a board-certified rheumatologist and author of the Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit. It's available exclusively at this website... not available in stores.

Click here: Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit

What is the relationship?

The heart pain associated with angina leads to chest tightness and chest pain. Chest pain, though, has many causes. Chest pain might be related to inflammation of the membranes surrounding the lungs and/or the heart leading to pain not only in the front part of the chest but in the upper back as well.

Acid reflux disease causes chest pain which can be mistaken for heart-related pain. It also causes back pain.

Another cause which might also cause chest pain is neck spine problems.

Another important relationship between low back pain and heart disease is this...

People who do not exercise regularly face an increased risk for low back pain, especially during times when they suddenly embark on stressful unaccustomed activity, such as shoveling, digging, or moving heavy items. Although no definitive studies have been done to prove the relationship between lack of exercise and low back pain, sedentary living is probably a primary non medical culprit contributing to this condition. Lack of exercise leads to the following conditions that may threaten the back:

• Muscle inflexibility (can restrict the back's ability to move, rotate, and bend).
• Weak stomach muscles (can increase the strain on the back and can cause an abnormal tilt of the pelvis).
• Weak back muscles (may increase the load on the spine and the risk for disc compression).
• Obesity, associated with sedentary lifestyle (may put more weight on the spine and increase pressure on the vertebrae and discs). Studies report only a weak association between obesity and low back pain, however.


Obviously, people who lead a sedentary lifestyle also place themselves at risk for cardiovascular disease as well.

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