Is Caffeine causing you backpain?

John Galt · #1 (**permalink**) 06-13-2015, 11:06 PM

I had started having increased back pain and stiffness in the lumbar a few months ago after a long period of very little pain. I racked my brain trying to figure out why I was getting more pain and finally realized that I had gone from drinking decaf coffee to regular coffee during this time.
I did a little net searching and apparently caffeine may tighten muscle tension as well as effect the adrenal glands. This is not good!

I then went back to drinking decaf and the pain subsided. I love coffee but I don't like pain so decaf it is for now but I'll probably quit that also to test how I feel off of decaf.

So if your a coffee drinker consider testing by cutting back some to see if you get any improvement in pain.

Best Wishes,
John Galt

jsewell · #2 (**permalink**) 06-14-2015, 12:41 AM

John that is very interesting. I do have adrenal problems but on our forums, people have said caffeine helps the adrenals. I have not noticed any extra pain from caffeine. the last time I was in the hospital , the cafeteria apparently only gives patients decaf, even though you check off regular. I had a terrible caffeine withdrawal headache . After a week, a nurse asked me about coffee. I told him I had been ordering caffeine, he is the one who told me about the cafeteria's little secret. so he got me a cup from the nurses staff and my headache was gone. suffered for 5 days. I hope you do not get that headache.

Maria · #3 (**permalink**) 06-14-2015, 01:31 AM

I think it depends on what kind of coffee you drink (instant, drip, percolated, expresso) etc. I only drink a half a cup of instant caffeinated coffee basically to avoid the h/a but not upset my GI tract and I don't find that it tightens up any musculature too much. Maybe when I was drinking a more heavily caffeinated dose of coffee and a bit to excess as to tensing up (for me as I believe we probably all have our individual levels of tolerance) I did tense up more around the shoulders especially/neck area.

I tried going back on a drip half cup of coffee recently and did Ok for about 2 days and then back to GI discomfort so back to instant. I guess I don't really like instant enough to drink more than the half cup so it works for me thus far.

I hate the caffeine withdrawal headache.. sometimes turns into a full blown migraine (my migraine med has caffeine in it). Anyway whatever seems to work for each of us individually sounds right.

jsewell · #4 (**permalink**) 06-14-2015, 01:35 AM

Yes Maria, I did start out with a migraine. they were giving me some type of migraine med, I don't remember which one now. It did nothing and who ever ordered it didn't know how those things work, they were giving it to me every 6 hours for a few days!!

John Galt · #5 (**permalink**) 06-14-2015, 12:20 PM

I should add that I went from 6 8oz cups of decaf to 6 8 oz cups of regular coffee. When I started drinking the regular my hands shook a lot. I should have taken the hint then. Of course there is caffeine in soda and chocolate so that needs to be factored in to total consumption also.
I googled "back pain caffeine" and there are some links tying caffeine to back pain but there is also a PubMed study saying the opposite. So maybe it's just that I'm particularly sensitive to caffeine and most others are not.

Maria · #6 (**permalink**) 06-14-2015, 05:37 PM

6 8 oz cups of regular coffee would hurt my bladder and stomach and probably have me shaking like crazy! Used to drink that much in undergrad tho by the time I was in my early 30's my stomach was worse from that and liberally prescribed Ibuprophen for my knee and back probs.

I do love the aroma of strong freshly brewed coffee!!!!