Back Pain because of Smoking

Published on October 30, 2009 8:27 AM

Anti-tobacco researchers discovered another health concern of smoking. They found that daily tobacco use can lead to a back pain. For example a Canadian study has identified a higher rate of chronic lower back pain among people who smoke every day, especially among the young people.

The researchers suggested that their smoking was interfering with pain transmitters, causing osteoporosis or affecting their spine-related blood circulation. Professor Michael Cousins, director of the Pain Management Research Institute at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, said: "Chronic pain is now regarded as a disease in its own right. Patients with it rapidly progress into a downward spiral of physical, psychological and environmental changes, resulting in major deterioration of all life activities, in their work, family and community roles."

Researchers examined the health data from more than 73,000 people aged 20-59 years old for to find any link between cigarette smoking and back pain.

At the end of the investigation they found that while 15.7 percent of non-smokers reported chronic pain, for daily smokers the figure was 23.3 percent and the association was stronger in younger adults. Researchers aim was to find also the effect of weight, fitness, education and other factors among smokers with back pain. And they found that those health factors didn’t release smokers’ back pain. "This study further strengthens the case for stepping up the fight against tobacco at all levels. This should include an immediate tax increase and making all workplaces completely smoke-free in line with our engagement to the international anti-tobacco agreement," said ASH chief executive Anne Jones.

Researchers concluded that development of lower back pain was significantly associated with smoking history and hypertension, and development of lumbar spine problems was significantly associated with smoking history, and hypertension and high cholesterol. Numerous studies have proposed a link between smoking and low back pain, but the exact nature of that link had remained largely untested till today.