Jump to full article: AAP (Australian Associated Press) (au), 2009-10-23
Author: Danny Rose
Intro: A major Canadian study has identified a higher rate of chronic lower back pain among people who smoke every day, particularly the young.
Professor Michael Cousins said the research suggested their smoking was interfering with pain transmitters, causing osteoporosis or affecting their spine-related blood circulation.
The condition resulted in chronic lower back pain which could also trigger a "downward spiral" in a person's life, he warned.
"Chronic pain is now regarded as a disease in its own right," said Prof Cousins, who is director of the Pain Management Research Institute at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital. . . .
Prof Cousins commented on the study published in the journal Clinical and Investigative Medicine. . . .
The study was controlled to ensure weight, fitness, education and other factors which can differ between smokers and non-smokers did not skew the results.
"Back pain treatment programs may benefit from integrating smoking habit modification," the researchers said.
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