Earlyface

In a study of 5,300 patients with spinal disorders and back pain, those who continued to smoke throughout eight months of treatment reported greater discomfort than those who quit smoking for the treatment period or never smoked at all.

"We know that nicotine increases pain," said study author Glenn R. Rechtine, MD, of the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., in a release from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. "In this study, if you quit smoking during treatment, you got better. If you continued to smoke, there was statistically no improvement, regardless of the treatment you had.

Smoking is bad for you. Basically, the likelihood to improve your care — surgical or non-surgical — was dramatically decreased if you are a smoker." The findings, published in the December 2012 issue of Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, support the need for smoking cessation programs for patients with spinal disorders and back pain.

While smoking is most often associated with problems of the lung and heart, the habit hurts every organ in the body. Past studies have tied smoking to inflammatory back pain and psoriatic arthritis. Additionally, lighting up is associated with weakened immunity, vision loss, and risk of osteoporosis, just to name a few lesser-known smoking dangers. For these reasons, quitting smoking is arguably one of the best things people can do for their health.

Within weeks after stopping smoking, the body begins restoring itself. Circulation improves, lungs perform better, and even walking becomes easier.