These days everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health. It is linked with numerous health problems such as cancer-not just of the lungs, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even sexual dysfunction. In fact, smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. It is estimated that smoking cigarettes is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the US. But what you probably didn’t know is that smoking can also affect your spine and be a contributing factor in spinal degeneration and back pain.
Did you know that smoking is a risk factor for low back pain? The main culprit in the cigarettes, when it comes to negative effects on the spine, is the nicotine. A study was done on rabbits that had two groups receiving a nicotine solution or saline solution for 8 weeks. At the end of the 8 weeks all the rabbits that received the nicotine had degenerative changes of the spinal discs. The center part of the disc is supposed to be gel-like, but in the treatment group there was death of the tissue and it began to harden. Also the fibrous part around the outside of the disc had a change in its pattern with layers not overlapping properly. There were also fewer blood vessels going near the spinal discs and they were narrower and had thicker walls – all contributing to the problem.
So what does this all have to do with you? Well if you have back pain and are a smoker there is a real likelihood that smoking is contributing to that pain. And if you are a smoker but don’t currently have back pain, if you continue to smoke it is very likely going to lead to back pain and disability from spinal degeneration. While stopping smoking can be very difficult it is possible and the benefits for your health and well-being are enormous.
If you do have back pain for whatever reason, chiropractic can help to offer you relief! If you found this article interesting or helpful please leave a comment below. And if you know someone that could benefit from this information pass it on.
References
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/ Accessed June 23rd, 2015
Iwahashi M, Matsuzaki H, Tokuhashi Y, Wakabayashi K, Uematsu Y. Mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration caused by nicotine in rabbits to explicate intervertebral disc disorders caused by smoking. Spine 2002 Jul 1;27(13):1396-401.
