Almost anybody suffers from lumbago at some point in their lives.

Back pain may have a variety of causes and many of them may originate in distant organs not usually associated with the spine. Likewise, some risk factors not usually associated with the back increase the odds of developing chronic back pain. Like smoking.

Smoking? Yes, smoking.

Let us review the most common problems that cause pain, either referred or direct.

a.    Muscle strain. By far, the leading cause of lower back pain is muscle strain as a result of:
•    using some muscles in the back the patient is not used to
•    bad posture
•    weak musculature
•    sleeping positions

b.    Appendicitis and kidney disease also cause a referred pain in the back.

c.    Infections. The bladder and the pelvis are sources that refer pain to the lower back as well when there is an infection.

d.    Ovaries. In women, problems in the ovaries sometimes are felt in the lower back.

e.    Degenerative diseases like osteoporosis and arthritis.

f.    Sprains of ligaments. The tissue that connects bones is easily damaged, for example, by twisting the waist while lifting a heavy object.

g.    Disk problems, such as slipped (herniated), compressed or irritated disks. A herniated disk presses on nerves, causing immediate pain.

h.    Joint disorders, usually congenital

i.    Obesity. People who suffer from back pain and are overweight, gain some relief after losing weight.

j.    Injuries.

A Reason to Quit
As stated above, some conditions you never thought in relation to your back, surprisingly, correlate with back pain:

k.    Atherosclerosis.

l.    High cholesterol.

m.    Hypertension.

n.    Smoking. Several studies associate a smoking history and hypertension to damage in the vascular system of the discs in the spinal cord. Young women who smoked regularly during adolescence suffer from back pain in larger proportions than non-smokers do. In general, a smoker has 30% more chances of developing back pain than a non-smoker.

What kind of studies are those? (1)

•    A British study that included a statistical sample of 13,000 people,

•    a John Hopkins University study among 1,300 physicians,

•    and over 40 other studies.

Besides vascular degeneration, nicotine may cause a change in the manner the brain perceives pain; after all, back pain is not in the back itself, but in the brain.

So, keep smoking and, sooner or later, your brain will be asking for posture and back support and pain relief medication.

(1) Note: Studies, however, are not conclusive. Some researchers are, in fact, skeptical. They believe smoking is not a cause, but a consequence of back pain. In their opinion, smokers light their cigarettes in a quest for relief of the anxiety caused by the pain.

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