Smoking Plays Havoc On Your Back.
It’s well known that there is a connection between smoking and all sorts of health problems such as lung cancer and emphysema, but did you also know that smoking can mess with your back?
Recent studies such as the one published in the July 2008 "Deutsches Arzteblatt International" have found that smokers (and former smokers) experience chronic back problems more frequently than non-smokers. You can blame nicotine for this, as it restricts the flow of blood to the discs that cushion the spine.
Physicians at the Chicago Institute for Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch (CINN) are well aware of this connection. Dean Karahalios, spine neurosurgeon at CINN, says that he has “…seen a number of failed spinal fusion procedures that could have been avoided if the patient would have stopped smoking."
In an attempt to encourage back pain suffers to kick the smoking habit, CINN has created a complimentary back pain brochure with smoking-cessation tips that you can download from their website.
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Many surgeons won’t do spinal fusions on smokers due to the poor success rate.
Smoking is definitely a risk factor for back pain.
Interesting post, although I don’t suffer from back pain, my partner does and we’re both smokers on the cusp of another quit smoking ordeal. Food for thought as we look for inspiration to stick with it.
The connection between back pain and smoking isn’t well known by the general public…
Lee, did you download the back pain brochure for your partner?