Dehydration is a common problem, particularly during the hot summers here in San Antonio and South Texas.  Even if you stay inside out of the heat, the drying effects on the air that occurs with air conditioning can contribute to dehydration and the problems that go with it.  Severe dehydration can be life-threatening, and most people are at least enough aware of their circumstances to avoid getting into such a situation.  But many people live much of their lives in a chronic low-level state of dehydration, and this can create quite a number of milder health problems, one of the most common being back pain.

When you become even mildly dehydrated, your blood starts to become thicker.  The thicker the blood gets, the harder it is for it to flow through the small blood vessels that supply your muscles, joints, and other tissues.  Over time, this reduction in circulation results in less oxygenation, less nutrient and waste exchange, and of course less lubricating fluid in these important structures.

When this occurs, several reactions can take place that can cause or exacerbate back pain.  Muscles can become deprived of oxygen and/or electrolytes, joints lose their normal lubrication, and irritating waste products can build up in the tissues.

The net effect is that inflammation increases, muscles become prone to excessive contraction, and these effects are experienced as back pain and stiffness.

Obviously, the point of this article is to point out how important proper hydration is to back pain sufferers.  So, how do you stay properly hydrated? 

First, you want  to be sure to drink water frequently throughout the day.  Notice that I said WATER, not coffee, not tea, not soda, not juice, not beer, WATER!  While it is OK to enjoy other beverages in moderation, it is important to realize that many other beverages, particularly those high in caffeine, sugar, or alcohol, will actually tend to make dehydration worse. 

So how much water do you need?  That actually varies quite a bit, depending on your activities, your diet, and your overall health, but for most people, the general recommendation of eight 8-ounce glasses per day is a reasonable target.  A person who is sweating profusely working in the San Antonio heat will often need more.  A person who does not sweat much and who eats a lot of high water-content foods (fresh vegetables and fruits) can usually drink less water without dehydrating. 

For healthy people, the body will tell you if you are staying hydrated by means of your urine output, by both the frequency of urination and the color of the urine.  When you are properly hydrated, you will need to urinate periodically throughout the day and your urine will be light in color (unless you take a lot of B-vitamins, medications, etc. that change the color of the urine) and clear.  If you are only urinating two or three times per day and your urine is very dark yellow to orange in color, chances are you need to drink more water. 

By paying attention to  your body, you will be better able to judge what your hydration status is, and you can take steps to avoid the problems of chronic dehydration, including back pain.

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