VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN AND SCIATICA: MYTH OR REALITY?

Abstract

Vitamin D which is linked to musculoskeletal function in our bodies, and its insufficiency is a worldwide health issue. Low back pain (LBP) and sciatica are important health problems in terms of low quality of life, loss of work power, and cost of diagnosis and treatment approaches. Vitamin D relation with chronic back pain and sciatica is very important because of limited research and data material on back pain and specially sciatica. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency with back pain severity and sciatica leg pain in patients who are suffering from these diseases. Vitamin D insufficiency raises the chance of developing LBP thus researchers are looking into the potential function of vitamin D deficit in the prevention of LBP. Different management strategies should be implemented with patients having chronic pain such as certain mediation, physical therapy, exposure of the sunlight, and NSAIDs to investigate the crosstalk between vitamin D deficiency and LBP. There is a significant relation between back pain and leg pain namely sciatica while the link between the vitamin D deficiency and sciatica is still under study. Vitamin D affects lumber disc herniation, disc slip, and lumber spin due to its significant role in nerve and bones health. Although sciatica is often caused by the compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve or its nerve roots in the lumbar spine, often due to disc herniation, spinal stenosis, or other spinal issues but there is contravention in the link between vitamin D level and sciatica. So, this review article has been compiled to determine any link among vitamin D deficiency, LBP and sciatica.