Kick The Habit - How To Prevent Back Problems: Back Pain

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Kick the habit

You've undoubtedly heard this message before: Smoking harms your health. Not only does this habit raise your risk for lung cancer, heart disease, hypertension, and a plethora of other health problems, it also jeopardizes your back.

In 1999 a study in Spine involving more than 3,200 adults found not only that smokers had more frequent episodes of back pain, but also that the number of such episodes increased the more people smoked. Subsequent studies have continued to support a link between smoking and back pain.

Scientists believe that the nicotine in cigarettes contributes to low back pain in two ways. First, nicotine hampers the flow of blood to the vertebrae and disks. This impairs their function and may trigger a bout of back pain. Second, smokers tend to lose bone faster than nonsmokers, putting them at greater risk for osteoporosis, another common cause of back pain (see "Osteoporosis").

While smoking certainly plays a role in low back pain, scientists continue to investigate whether it is a primary cause or a contributing factor. The ultimate answer probably depends on the cause of the pain, but in any event, one thing is clear: Smoking is bad news for backs.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007