There can be a connection between back pain and prostate cancer, but back pain alone is not necessarily a sign of the disease.
In advanced prostate cancer, cancer cells spread beyond the prostate to other parts of the body. These cells usually spread to the bones first, and doctors refer to this as bone metastasis. If prostate cancer spreads to the bones, it most often reaches the spine, ribs, and hips. This occurs in Stage 4 prostate cancer, and it can cause pain. According to specialists, bone metastases will affect more than 60 percent of men with advanced prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer usually has no early warning signs. Because of this, many doctors and health authorities recommend screening men at risk. When prostate cancer does cause symptoms, they may include frequent and urgent need to urinate; urinate frequently during the night; reduce urine flow; trouble starting or stopping the flow of urine; pain with urination or ejaculation; and/or blood in the urine or semen. It is also important to realize that these symptoms can also be present with Benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement of the prostate), and prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate).
Again, back pain alone is not an indication of prostate cancer, but it could be linked to bone metastasis in advanced cases.
If you are over 40 years of age, you smoke, suffer from obesity, and have a family history of prostate cancer consult your doctor for the appropriate prostate screening.
Dr. Thomas P. Canseco – Chiropractor
Fit Vida Chiropractic
4453 Penn Ave Sinking Spring, PA 19608
610-750-6804