Smoking Back Pain

Smoking back pain is one of many side effects of this insidious habit. Smokers are 3 times more likely to develop chronic lower back pain than non-smokers. Besides back pain, smoking is a known cause and contributor to heart disease, hypertension, cancer, stroke, emphysema and birth defects. It is truly time to end this epidemic habit, for the sake of everyone on the planet.

Smoking Back Pain

Smoking and Degenerative Discs

Medical research has shown that the ingredients in cigarettes contribute to disc degeneration. Affected discs will lose height, mass and water content faster than the discs of non-smokers. Smoking increases the risk of painful spondylosis in the lower back region.

Smokers Cough and Back Pain

Coughing is a contributing cause and a perpetuator of muscular lumbar back pain. The constant coughing motion creates muscular stress in the lower back and can even lead to muscular back spasm. Persistent smoker's cough can actually also contribute to herniated discs. Smokers that cough frequently while sitting put a huge strain on the lumbar spine. This strain can put pressure on a weakened intervertebral disc, setting the perfect scenario for a herniation to occur.

Smoking Back Pain from Oxygen Deprivation

Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide and reduces the percentage of oxygen in the blood. Carbon monoxide is a deadly poison, but that does not stop smokers from happily puffing away on these little doses of death. Nicotine has also been proven to reduce blood flow and cellular oxygenation. Smoking alone may be a primary cause of some forms of oxygen deprivation back pain.

Smoking Back Pain from Hypertension

Smokers suffer from an increased risk of hypertension. Hypertension has also been linked to various forms of back pain including muscular pain and spinal arthritis.

SMOKING = HYPERTENSION

HYPERTENSION = BACK PAIN

Therefore we conclude�

SMOKING = BACK PAIN��nuff said.

Recommendation on Smoking Back Pain

Ok, let�s make this really, really, REALLY SIMPLE�

STOP SMOKING.

SMOKING KILLS.

IT WILL KILL YOU.
IT WILL KILL YOUR LOVED ONES.

Smoking in public should be a felony�conspiracy to commit murder with a deadly weapon.

Any doubts about my view on SMOKING???
I didn�t think so�
Smoking Back Pain to Lower Back Pain Home page 7/30/06 Revised 5/15/08