New Studies Demonstrate a Link Between Smoking and Back Pain; One DC Weights In

Omaha, NE, December 10, 2014 (Newswire.com) - People have all heard about the risks of tobacco use – particularly smoking – including various mouth and lung cancers or diseases, the blackening of the lungs and emphysema, shortness of breath, stained or damaged teeth, and more. However, many have never considered that back pain could be linked to the habit.

Sciatica and general lumbar back pain, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammation on the spine are all potential side effects of smoking, as various studies have determined.

The link between the use of tobacco through smoking is essentially intuitive. Partially, it results from a compromised immune system which most – if not all – smokers eventually have. This allows diseases and conditions from which back pain stems to become rampant and leave the sufferer little with which to fight the toxins. Also part of the causation is the inflammation that tobacco use can bring forth. Inflammation is a major nemesis of a healthy spine and can cause a loss of fluid flexibility & mobility in the spine and other joints, and also a pressure on the nerves – especially in the lower back – which can cause debilitating pain.

Dane Becker, DC of Becker Chiropractic & Acupuncture here in Omaha sees the correlation often and can always be found advising his patients against smoking and referring cessation aides. He recommends that individuals who smoke and have not yet experienced the pain find a way to quit before its onset. Dr. Becker also advises that individuals who have a history of tobacco use and are experiencing the chronic pain side effect should seek natural chiropractic care. It is believed, in the chiropractic community, that holistic and noninvasive care is the best way to reintroduce proper immune function and lessen inflammation. Dr. Becker asserts that his approach to care is without the side effects of medication and other “pseudo-solutions” as they are called. To have all Omaha residents – and people worldwide – pain free and free of the chains of tobacco use is Dr. Becker’s major movement.