
As the youngest candidate ever elected to the Oval Office, Kennedy was often portrayed as a dynamic man full of youthful energy. However, lower back pain was one of many of his hidden medical problems, and affected him nearly continually from his undergraduate years at Harvard until the day of his assassination

President John F Kennedy was marred by health problems and chronic back pain throughout his life.

Ultimately, experts say, his multiple failed surgeries and restrictive back brace could have made it impossible for him to survive the bullets that killed him in 1963.

As the youngest candidate ever elected to the Oval Office, Kennedy was often portrayed as a dynamic man full of youthful energy.

However, lower back agony was one of many hidden medical problems, and affected him nearly continually from his undergraduate years at Harvard until the day of his assassination.

He began experiencing the pain during his time at college, supposedly the result of a football injury he sustained in 1937.

Between 1944 and 1957, Kennedy had four spinal surgeries, and a number of near-death episodes.

The first two surgeries to remove spongy tissue between his disks did little to improve his condition and resulted in muscle spasms and more pain. The third operation was performed to remedy the effects of the second, and the fourth to clear out infection at the previous operative site.

During that time and into his presidency, Kennedy tried any option he could to reduce the chronic pain so he could function as a politician and maintain his image of a strong and vibrant leader at the top of his game.

Just two years into his first term as President, Kennedy was shot twice by Lee Harvey Oswald. Many doctors believe the impact of the first shot, which hit him in the shoulder and exited through his trachea, should have forced JFK to slump forward in his seat.

Instead he remained upright, allowing Oswald to deliver the second fatal blow to the head. Many people believe the reason he did not slump forward is because of the back brace he wore for his back pain.

Now, research by Dr T Glenn Pait and Justin T Dowdy of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Arkansas takes a closer look at the President's chronic back pain.

Their new analysis reveals that Kennedy experienced much more pain in his short life than was previously known, and offers an in-depth explanation of how his back brace could have ultimately resulted in his death.

Just two years into his first term as President, Kennedy was shot shot twice by Lee Harvey Oswald. The force of the first shot, which hit him in the shoulder and exited through his trachea, many doctors believe should have forced JFK to slump forward in his seat. Instead he remained upright, allowing Oswald to deliver the second fatal blow to the head. Many people believe the reason he did not slump forward is because of the back brace he wore for his back pain

Their new analysis reveals that Kennedy experienced much more pain in his short life than was previously known, and offers an in-depth explanation of how his back brace could have ultimately resulted in his death

Kennedy's first surgery: How a football injury and the toll of war left him with chronic back pain - but operating made it worse

In 1943 he was ordered to the Pacific theater after being declared fit for physical duty. Just moths after arriving, Kennedy's boat was hit by a Japanese destroyer in an incident that killed two crew members and stranded he and his shipmates. The event ended his tour of duty and left him a war hero

JFK's back problems initially prevented wartime enlistment in the armed services in 1940, but his father's political influence helped JFK obtain a commission in the US Naval Reserve in 1941.

In 1943 he was ordered to the Pacific theater after being declared fit for physical duty. Just months after arriving, Kennedy's boat was hit by a Japanese destroyer in an incident that killed two crew members and stranded him and his shipmates.

It also marked the beginning of the famous PT-109 episode that saw Kennedy pull a badly wounded crewman to safety by putting the strap of his life jacket in his teeth for five hours as he swam to a nearby island.

The event ultimately ended his Pacific tour of duty and left him a war hero. In November of 1943, he returned home.

The impact of the ship collision and the physical exertion of the rescue exacerbated the future president's back problems, and less than one year later, JFK underwent the first of four spine surgeries.

On June 23, 1944, doctors removed spongy tissue in Kennedy's spine between the disks, helping relieve the symptoms of the injured area.

Initially he did well, but eventually started to experience severe muscle spasms.

The surgery was ultimately unsuccessful, in part due to an imaging technique referred to as a myelogram.

At the time of the procedure, one of the agents used to perform a myelography was air, which is a less risky, though ultimately less accurate than other agents that might have been used.

Had the imaging been more precise, the surgery may have been successful and helped Kennedy ward off future back problems.

In 1946, just two years after the failed surgery, Kennedy was elected to the House of Representatives, and his first term in congress was marred by health difficulties.

First brush with death: Young JFK's long-term gastrointestinal issues turned into kidney disease and he was read his last rites - as back agony persisted

In addition to his back pain, Kennedy dealt with long-term gastrointestinal problems, for which he took corticosteroid tablets.

In 1947, the steroids stopped working, causing a severe adrenal gland crisis during an overseas trip to London.

Steroids cannot be stopped abruptly, and instead have to be tapered off over time to give the adrenal glands time to return to normal secretion patterns.

He became seriously and quickly ill, and was eventually diagnosed with Addison's disease, which causes the adrenal gland to produce insufficient amounts of the hormone cortisol.

When under stress, that deficiency can result in a life-threatening crisis characterized by low blood pressure.

He was hospitalized overseas, and when he returned stateside he was in critical condition, with many in the family thinking he would die. For the first time, of many, the President was read his last Catholic rites.

The second surgery: How a post-operation infection almost killed him, he was read his rites AGAIN, and was left with bones sticking out of his back

Regardless of his health problems, Kennedy continued his political career, and was elected to the US senate in 1952 after a 'grueling' race in which his political advisor Dave Powers stated that he had to travel 'with crutches, gritting his teeth when he walked'.

'But then,' Powers continued, 'when he came into the room where the crowd was gathered, he was erect and smiling, looking as fit and healthy as the light-heavyweight champion of the world. Then after he finished his speech and answered questions from the floor and shook hands with everyone, we would help him into the car and he would lean back on the seat and close his eyes in pain.'

In 1954, the then-Senator required nearly constant use of crutches, and decided to undergo a lumbosacral fusion operation, which held a high risk of death.

In 1954, the then-Senator required nearly constant use of crutches, and decided to undergo a lumbosacral fusion operation (a sketch is provided by the American Academy of Orthopedic surgeons of what the procedure should look like), which held a high risk of death

The operation, if successful, would connect a number of his vertebrae (with the screws pictured by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons) in an attempt to heal the injured disks and reduce pain or further damage. It was done by Dr Philip Wilson Sr, an orthopedic surgeon and Harvard classmate of JFK's father

The operation, if successful, would connect a number of his vertebrae in an attempt to heal the injured disks and reduce pain or further damage. It was done by Dr Philip Wilson Sr, an orthopedic surgeon and Harvard classmate of JFK's father.

At the time of the surgery there were complications, including a urinary tract infection and small wound, that were first thought to be mild.

However, the UTI ended up begin so severe it sent him into a coma, and, thinking he would die, his family had his last Catholic rites read for the second time.

Kennedy survived and went to Palm Beach to recover. However, that recovery was complicated when his wound became more severe, having contracted a staphylocoloccal infection.

The injury was described by a family friend as an 'open, gaping, very sickly looking hole,' that appeared to be 'oozing all the time.'

Those close to him said at times a bone would poke out, and that the pain he was in was excruciating.

The third surgery: Doctors successfully injected numbing agents, fitted a heel lift, and gave him his famous rocking chair

When it became clear the open draining wound was severely infected and not healing, Kennedy returned to the hospital for his third back surgery.

In February of 1955, surgeons removed the hardware previously put into Kennedy's body.

The recovery period following this procedure took months, and he was able to return to the Senate in May of that year. This was the end of Kennedy's major back surgeries, and doctors began to shift focus toward muscular and environmental factors contributing to his back pain.

Kennedy was introduced to Dr Jane Travell, a pharmacologist and internal medicine specialist who treated him with ethyl chloride spray and procaine trigger-point injections. These injections temporarily numbed that part of the spine, reducing pain for the senator.

This treatment continued throughout the rest of his life, and introduced him to what would eventually become a symbol of his presidency, the rocking chair.

In addition to the rocking chair, Travell fitted Kennedy for a heel lift, and created a new muscle strengthening program that saw positive results.

Following his third surgery, Kennedy started receiving procaine injections that continued throughout the rest of his life, and introduced him to what would eventually become a symbol of his presidency, the rocking chair

Final surgery and aftermath: Doctors removed an abscess while he campaigned - but in office he turned to fad vitamin injections and suffered ANOTHER injury that left him in the worst pain of his life

DANGERS OF MULTIPLE BACK SURGERIES Up to 30 percent of back surgeries are unsuccessful and can lead to even more excruciating pain. Dr Steven Shoshany, a chiropractor based in New York, told Daily Mail Online that there is a condition called Failed Back Surgery Syndrome, a term used to describe patients who have not had successful results with back surgery. 'Surgery is permanent, they're removing the lamina, the pillar of how weight is carried on the spine,' said Dr Shoshany. 'So then pressure comes off the nerve that's in pain, but later the segment above it gets injured. So if someone goes in to have their L5 disc removed, they're back in a few years later and this time it's the L4,' he explained. There are several other ways patients can have non-invasive treatments for their pain, Dr Shoshany said. 'Chiropractic adjustments are the safest, most effective way to get back to feeling better without drugs because we're addressing the underlying problem, not masking the symptoms,' he said. 'If you get away with between three and five years without any pain, that's lucky,' he continued. 'I always tell my patients because of the high cost, the side effects and the long recovery, exhaust all other options before surgery. Advertisement

In 1957 Kennedy began experiencing lower-back pain again, when a 'powerful point of redness appeared in the mid-line operative scar of the lumbar spine fusion.'

He was diagnosed with a superficial lumbar abscess, and admitted to the hospital for special surgery on September 13. There, doctors opened the abscess and inflammation at the spot was reduced.

Following the surgery and recovery time, he was in relatively good health, winning the presidential election in 1960.

The campaign took its toll on Kennedy's body, and caused him to begin receiving illicit injections from Dr Max Jacobson.

Dr Jacobson was a German immigrant who injected Kennedy with a vitamin cocktail that included amphetamine derivatives, and whose patients gave him the nickname 'Dr Feelgood,' due to his methods.

Just after taking office, Kennedy again injured his back during a tree-planting ceremony in Ottowa, Canada.

The incident caused his physical condition to reach the worst point in years, and a return to frequent use of crutches, procaine injections and a corset back brace.

He also began receiving an increase in illicit injections from Dr Jacobson, which ultimately resulted in a negative performance during the Vienna summit with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in June 1961.

Following that meeting, a White House physician concerned with the increasing use of procaine shots took control of Kennedy's health plan.

The President was placed on an exercise and rehabilitation program around the White House pool and gym, which showed dramatic improvements.

He improved quickly and was eventually weened off of his corset.

But then, in August of 1963 he had a new wave of discomfort from a strain in his left iliopsoas muscles, and was told to use an Ace bandage spica. However, ignored his doctors recommendation and used the bandage in addition to his back brace, which he had been told was not necessary.

The bandage was similar to, if not the same one, he used to augment his regular canvas corset, which was cut off of him during the resuscitation attempts at the Parkland hospital after he was shot later that year.

But then, in August of 1963 he had a new wave of discomfort from a strain in his left iliopsoas muscles, and was told to use an Ace bandage spica. The bandage was similar to, if not the same one, he used to augment his regular canvas corset, which was cut off of him during the resuscitation attempts at the Parkland hospital after he was shot later last year

Kennedy's assassination: Why the back brace's intricate laces failed him

On November 22, 1963, President John F Kennedy was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.

Due to a relapse of back pain, the president was wearing his corset while in the car, and it was cut off of him during resuscitation attempts at Parkland Hospital.

Some theorists believe the use of this tightly bound back brace returned Kennedy to an upright position after the potentially survivable first shot, allowing Oswald to deliver the second fatal shot to the head.

'He was tightly laced into this brace with wide Ace bandages making figure-of-eight loops around his trunk and around his thighs,' Dr Pepper Jenkins, then chief of the Anesthesiology Department at the Parkland Hospital explained in the report.

Had he not been wearing the brace, some believe he may have crumbled forward and remained out of the line of fire.

On November 22, 1963, President John F Kennedy was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Due to a relapse of back pain, the president was wearing his corset while in the car, and it was cut off of him during resuscitation attempts at Parkland Hospital

Kennedy's first and only two years in office were marked by a challenging period of political and civil unrest and the possibility of nuclear war

However, many also argue that given his extensive health issues, it is unclear if Kennedy could have survived the initial wound, and probably would have faced an excruciating uphill battle for life.

Kennedy's first and only two years in office were marked by a challenging period of political and civil unrest and the possibility of nuclear war.

In addition to those challenges, he faced personal health challenges associated to his back pain and near-daily therapy regimen.

Dr Dowdy said about this new analysis that 'the most surprising finding was the overall amount of severe pain JFK endured throughout his short life and, frankly, how he was able to hide his pain and medical ailments from the general public so well.'

When that pain came back in August of 1963, Kennedy, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, ignored his doctors' advice began to use his back brace more frequently.

This use of a tightly wound back brace, which held the president upright, suggests that his chronic back pain may have ultimately played a role in the President's death. Had he not worn it, he may not have remained in Oswald's line of fire, setting up the final deadly shot.