Smoking has been shown to directly affect the health of the spine and to greatly increase the probability of having incapacitating low back pain. In this post, the experts at Instituto Clavel explain how use of tobacco can impact your spine, and offer you some tips on leading a healthier life in general.
"I am a smoker and my back is killing me." Does this sound familiar? If that’s your case, you should know that there is a growing body of evidence of the negative impact that tobacco has on our bodies. Although most of us are well aware of some of the main risks associated with use of tobacco, such as cancer or other chronic diseases , few people are aware of how smoking affects the health of the spine and back.
Several studies indicate the relationship between tobacco and lumbalgia (low back pain), a condition that 80% of the global population can expect to suffer during at some time during their life, according to the latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Low back pain can stem from a variety of causes, including poor posture, stress, excessive physical strain, or being overweight, among others. In the case of smoking, an important relationship has been found between use of tobacco and the development of lumbar facet arthropathy and deterioration of the vertebral bone matrix.
Why does smoking increase the risk of back pain?
Use of tobacco is one of the world's leading public health problems and tops the podium of preventable causes of death. There are multiple consequences of this unhealthy practice and they become apparent very quickly. It is also a fact that tobacco has a negative effect on the spine and can cause chronic pain. These are some of the ways smoking harms your spine:
- Nicotine and smoke release carbon monoxide, causing harmful changes in the nervous system and affecting basic structures of the spine. In fact, smoking not only increases the risk of suffering incapacitating lower back pain, but causes the pain to be much more intense. This is because the spinal discs and intervertebral joints become deprived of oxygen and nutrients, which leads to their dehydration and they end up not working properly.
- Other harmful effects of tobacco on the spine are the degeneration of the bone matrix which makes osteoporosis more likely, and greater structural damage to the vertebrae, poor post-surgical healing, and worse and weaker healing overall.
Osteoporosis, a chronic disease of the bones causing them to become more fragile, is one of the biggest risk factors for vertebral fractures. Read more about it in this article:
But how much do you have to smoke to cause harm to your back? One of the most chilling facts is that you do not even have to be an active smoker to suffer the effects on your spine.
The indirect inhalation of tobacco smoke (being a passive smoker) also puts the health of your spine at risk. Do you need any more reasons to quit smoking and start taking care of yourself?
What kind of back pain can be caused by smoking?
Active smokers may experience lower back pain, or back pain when breathing. There are also those who suffer from pain in the upper back, at the level of the lungs.
As we indicated in the previous section, smoking can affect the health of the vertebral discs, which act as shock absorbers for the spine and facilitate the range of motion.
Smoke can cause disc degeneration because it results in a lack of nutrient exchange, specifically in the area where the bone joins the disc. In addition, the presence of nicotine in the bloodstream can decrease the healing and regeneration of cells within the disc.
All this can favor the appearance of pain and spinal pathologies related to disc degeneration.
Tips on how to prevent low back pain and other spinal problems
As we mentioned above, in addition to tobacco, there are other factors that can affect the back and lead to poor spinal health. To prevent low back pain, as well as other pathologies, we encourage you to use these simple tips and put these good habits into practice for your well-being:
- Avoid bad posture. Be especially careful if you spend many hours in the same position or over-exert yourself.
- Watch your diet and your body weight.
- Exercise regularly to strengthen the muscles of your abdominal and lumbar regions (core muscles)
If you already follow this advice and use these good habits, but still suffer from back pain, we recommend that you go to a specialist. Whatever the cause of your back problems, at Instituto Clavel, we will be happy to prepare a high-quality specialized rehabilitation program for you together with the team of physical therapists at IC Rehabilitation.
If you need more information or would like a personal evaluation, do not hesitate to contact us. Tell us about your case!
Categories: Spine pathologies, Prevention, Wellness