I get this question a lot from my frustrated patients coming to my office in need of very serious relief. Sometimes the answer is obvious and very clear to an invidual; "...doc, I lifted a sofa and BAM!....stabbing pain..." However, often times the answer is as clear as mud; ".....doc, all I was doing was vacuuming?!?!... what gives?...". So, with this in mind, I thought I would talk about some common causes of back pain. Some obvious and some, not so much. I hope with these discussions it becomes clear that isolating the cause of back pain to one factor is extremely difficult indeed. But maybe with my help, you can start to eliminate some of these risk factors so you can be better armed!
Let's start with; SMOKING. Yes, that's right. Smoking is a risk factor and can often be an overlooked cause for back pain. Smoking can be very detrimental to your organs and the soft tissue in your body by the act of dehydration. If you need proof, take a really good look at smokers who have been at it for years. Ever noticed the wrinkles on their face, necks, hands, etc. making them look years older than they actually are? Well, smoking damages the skins inherent elasticity and as a result, it becomes very stiff and prone to showing wrinkles.
Ok great doc, but what does that have to do with back pain you might be wondering. Well, I used the example of skin because, you can visibly see the effects. But make no mistake that smoking is having some dire effects internally as well. Namely on your spine and the intervertebral discs. These discs are the soft tissue structures literally wedged in between the individual bones or 'vertebrae' of your spine. Healthy discs act like shock absorbers for your spine, provide spacing in between your vertebrae allowing the nerves emanating from your spinal cord to leave the spine and travel to different areas of your body. Ever heard of a "Bulging Disc" or a "Herniated Disc". Well these terms describe something that may not be at first, obvious to most. These discs are not completely solid! Healthy discs, have a viscous, jelly-like material on the inside. This material is essential to the proper health and function of your spine.
Smoking as you may have guessed it, acts to dry out the material prematurely. Losing this important component of the discs acts to weaken and deteriorate the spine as a whole. This opens the door for a myriad of problems like back pain, spinal stenosis, spinal instability and hypomobility. In fact, smoking can damage the spine and discs so much that often the last resort for back pain sufferers; Surgery, can not be performed on heavy smokers.
I hope this article has helped. If smoking is a part of your routine, I would strongly suggest that you try to stop. Smoking already has a library of health problems associated with it, but if you didn't know it before, you can now add back pain to that list!
If you're in the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver, why not stop by my office or you can also visit my website here; YOUR COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!!!
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