Thought that achey back was a result of bad posture and an active lifestyle? Think again because new research has found that chronic lower back pain is inherited in 65 to 80 per cent of cases.
As we age, the lumbar discs in our back, which protect the vertebrae, can be squashed and bony growths can also emerge from the spinal column, which cause back pain.
According to The Telegraph, Dr. Frances Williams, from the Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London said: “The impact of hereditary factors on lumbar disc degeneration is remarkably high. In the 70s and 80s the Scandinavians spent millions looking for all the occupations which caused back pain, but they couldn’t find them,” she said.
64 to 80 per cent of back pain is inherited
The study analysed a number of identical twins who went into different professions such and an accountant and a PE teacher and found that both twins suffered back pain despite their lifestyle.
“Sitting up straight and exercising won’t change the way your discs change, but they might help you develop good muscular strength to keep a pain-free spine and back,” said Dr. Williams.
Professional adviser at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Steve Tolan, said: “We have little control over the genes we are born with, but we can manage how we support our backs in other ways, such as exercise.
“This can prevent an existing condition from getting worse or delay the onset of a hereditary one. The majority of people should be using exercise and a healthy lifestyle to protect their backs against future injury.
“To use an analogy, it doesn’t matter what type of car you have, you still need to keep the engine maintained.”
