Losing weight is harder than most people think. It requires a lot of motivation, dedication and continuous good eating for some people to maintain their weight or lose the weight they need to.
The effects of excessive weight gain can lead to a variety of issues with two of the most common being acute and chronic pain. Acute pain is short-lived, usually only lasting a moment or a very few weeks.
Chronic pain is pain that is ongoing and lasts for more than six months. It can sometimes be unbearable and lead to differences in one’s lifestyle. With excessive weight, it lays in different parts of the body and affects it in different ways. If that weight doesn’t go away, it becomes a continuous issue.
What some may not understand is that excessive weight gain doesn’t just negatively affect people mentally but it also affects them physically all over their body. This includes even the areas most would assume wouldn’t be that affected by excessive weight gain, like the neck and the shoulders.
The Neck
It makes sense that excessive weight gain can negatively affect the spine. So it would also make sense that excessive weight gain would affect the neck as well, as its the uppermost part of the neck.
When you have excessive weight on your body, it’s usually not distributed evenly everywhere. It can sometimes rest in the stomach area or in the lumbar region. This can cause strain in the lower back which then pulls on the spine, leading up to the neck.
Having excessive weight gain can also lead to bad posture where your head is slightly pushed forward and your back is curved. This puts more weight on the neck and shoulders, causing them to strain.
You may experience tightness, fatigue or even muscle aches from too much weight on your neck and shoulders.
The Shoulders
Those who are obese are more likely to experience shoulder pain than others. They are also more likely to have problems with their rotator cuff which can lead to surgery.
This is because the extra weight in people isn’t always equally distributed. The shoulder pain in those who are overweight can be because of extra weight in the abdomen, the upper arms, and the upper back, or a combination of all three.
On top of this, extra weight in any part of the body can stop blood flow from reaching an area that can lead to a muscle being weak and lacking in the nutrition it needs from the body. One can also find less mobility and range of motion, also leading to a weak muscle.
The Rest of the Body
Along with neck and shoulder pain, there are other parts of the body that are affected by excessive weight gain.
The knee’s ability to move is severely limited with excessive weight on it, like the shoulder. This can then lead to knee pain which can lead to a loss of quality of life because the knee is such an important joint when it comes to daily activity.
One also has to think about the effect of extra weight on the joints. Once the damage has been done to one’s joints it can’t be undone, but the damage can be stopped in its tracks.
Schedule an Appointment Today
We understand how important it is for our patients to feel their best throughout their whole body. When excessive weight gain starts causing problems within the neck and shoulders, we can help you with light exercises and stretches that tone those muscles and assist in your regime to lose weight.
Schedule an appointment with the experienced practitioners at Cianci Chiropractic. We’re here to help you feel the best you can.