Most people are aware that smoking cigarettes can cause serious lung disease; many also understand that smoking is connected with heart disease. More recent research has found that smoking tobacco is associated with neck and back pain due to worsening of degenerative disc disease, the medical term for osteoarthritis in the spinal column. A person may first learn about this when seeing a chiropractor for Neck Pain in St Louis.
Relevant Research
A study published in 2016 found that smokers had worse degenerative disc disease than could be expected by age in the cervical area, which includes the spinal bones of the neck. The discs are gel-filled tissues that provide cushioning between vertebral bones. When the discs are dehydrated or slip loose from between the bones, the bones then rub on the nerves. This can cause significant Neck Pain in St Louis.
Smoking tobacco also is implicated in causing and worsening osteoporosis. That condition, which causes the loss of bone density and strength, is common in women after menopause. Those who smoke are at even greater risk.
Other Issues
Smoking not only is hard on the body, it decreases sensitivity to pain medication. The person has to take more to feel comfortable. This may be due to tobacco’s effects on the nervous system. In addition, smoking seems to heighten a person’s sensitivity to pain. This is a twofold negative situation.
As part of a vicious circle, research has found that people experiencing chronic pain tend to start smoking more than they used to. This exacerbates the situation even more. Now they have more frequent appointments at a chiropractic clinic such as Back & Neck Care Center, but they refuse to do anything about the underlying cause.
The Chiropractor Knows
Even if the patient isn’t truthful with the chiropractor about his or her smoking habit, this back doctor probably already knows. People with this habit often have no idea just how persistent the smell of cigarette smoke is on their clothing and in their hair. The patient may not be honest because the idea of quitting is anxiety-provoking. Yet continuing this behavior will proceed to even worse consequences.
