Through its action on calcium, vitamin D has a direct bearing on the function of muscles everywhere, so deficiency can contribute to muscle problems located anywhere in your body. However there is evidence that the muscles of the lower back may be particularly susceptible to the effects of vitamin D deficiency. Before considering supplementation for your lower back issues, consult with your physician.
Vitamin D in the Body
Vitamin D ensures that your body can absorb dietary calcium, which is essential for bone health, energy metabolism, nervous system communications and muscle function. Vitamin D goes through three levels of synthesis, beginning with the reaction of cholesterol and sunlight in your skin. This reaction forms a metabolite that makes its way to your liver, where it's turned into circulating vitamin D; this then travels to the kidneys for conversion to hormonal vitamin D--the version that signals calcium to perform its various biological actions.
Vitamin D and Muscles
According to the March 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Physiology," the hormonal version of vitamin D enables muscles to function in two important ways. First, it signals calcium inside cells to produce the energy needed for muscles to contract. Without the proper balance of vitamin D and calcium, you can experience weakness and muscle cramps. In addition, vitamin D signals the production of calcium ions thatprovide pathways for electrical communications to travel along muscle nerves to the brain. These communications affect voluntary muscle groups such as arms and legs and involuntary groups such as the heart and lungs.
Vitamin D and Muscle Strength
At the 2011 American Thoracic Society Conference, a group of Belgian scientists discussed how low levels of vitamin D are related to muscle weakness. Because patients with lung disease have reduced lung muscle capacity, the researchers investigated whether vitamin D supplementation would improve lung function. They gave 50 lung disease patients either a monthly dose of 100,000 IU vitamin D or placebo for three months. The researchers reported that the vitamin D group showed a significant improvement in exercise capacity and respiratory muscle strength, according to a May 2011 article in "Science Daily."
Low Back Muscles
Low vitamin D levels can contribute to muscle cramps, spasms and weakness anywhere in the body. However investigators reporting in the January 2003 issue of "Spine" found that vitamin D deficiency can cause low back pain, suggesting a particular sensitivity of back muscles to vitamin D insufficiency. They reported that 83 percent of patients attending clinics in Saudi Arabia over six years for low back pain were vitamin D deficient. After treatment with vitamin D supplements, all the patients improved. The authors concluded that screening of patients with chronic low back pain for vitamin D deficiency should be mandatory.
References
- University of California, Riverside: Vitamin D and Milk
- "American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology"; Physiology and Pathophysiology of the Calcium-sensing Receptor in the Kidney; Daniela Riccardi and Edward Brown; March 2010
- "Science Daily"; Vitamin D Improves Exercise Outcomes in Patients With COPD; Staff Reporter; May 15, 2011
- "Spine"; Vitamin D Deficiency and Chronic Low Back Pain in Saudi Arabia; Saud Faraj and Kahlaf Mutairi; January 2003
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