If you suffer from chronic back pain and are a smoker, you might not realize that your smoking habit could be causing your pain to worsen. Smoking is something that is harmful in many ways, but studies have shown that smoking actually is capable of worsening chronic pain. Here are a few things to know if you smoke, have chronic back pain, and are trying to find a way to manage your pain.

The statistics

Around 50% of people that seek help for chronic pain are people who smoke, yet only 18% of the adult population in the U.S. are smokers. This correlation reveals stunning evidence that smoking may actually cause pain or worsen it.

The reasons smoking has this effect

There are several reasons that smoking may worsen pain, and here are some of them:

Smoking decreases blood flow and oxygen flow in the body – In order for your tissue, muscles, and bones to be strong and in good-working condition, they need an ample supply of blood and oxygen. When this is restricted, you may encounter pain.

Smoking causes health problems – When you smoke, you are harming many parts of your body. These harmful effects can end up causing damage to your bones and other body parts, and the damage can lead to pain.

Smoking interferes with medication – In addition, when you take pain medication to manage your pain, smoking may actually prevent the medication from working effectively. This means you may have to take even more medicine to find relief from your pain, and there are always side effects of medication.

These are the main reasons smoking is not a good habit to have if you suffer from chronic pain.

What you can do

If you are really trying to find a way to manage the chronic pain you have, you should consider quitting your smoking habit. While this is not an easy task for a smoker to do, it is vital if you want to find relief from your pain. In addition, you should seek help from a chronic pain management facility. They know the best treatment options for pain, and they will create a unique plan to help you manage the pain you have.

If you are ready to seek help for your chronic pain, you should call a pain management clinic. They can help you find the best treatment methods for the pain you have, which will be a great first step to take for pain relief.