Most people are aware that smoking can cause lung and mouth cancer, as well as heart disease, and lung disease. However, many people are not aware that it can also put a person at risk for back pain, osteoporosis, and bone fractures. Positive associations between current smoking and nonspecific back pain were found in 18 of 26 studies in men and 18 of 20 studies in women. I knew that a link existed but I didn’t know how strong it was. Quitting smoking not only greatly improve health but it could also mean the difference between weeks and months of recovery and time off work.
Most studies on the effects of smoking suggest the following…
1. Smokers lose bone at a faster rate than non-smokers as they age.
2. The longer you smoke and the more cigarettes you consume, the greater your risk of fracture in old age.
3. Smokers who fracture may take longer to heal than nonsmokers and may experience more complications during the healing process.
4. Quitting smoking appears to reduce the risk of low bone mass and fractures. However, it may take several years to lower a former smoker’s risk.
Just another good reason to quit smoking.
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