Back Pain and Smoking

[amiller]

Okay everyone, please give me the answer you know I want to hear. That or the truth. Either way really. I've been smoking a pipe since college but in the last year or two really picked up the pace. In the last six months I've been under the most stress I've had in my life, but now I'm mostly out from under that. However in the last six months I've thrown out my back a ton. Usually stuff along my shoulder-blades and lower back, then this week in my neck.
While I KNOW the stress is part of the problem, I've been reading a bit about tobacco/nicotine causing problems for some people with blood flow and then leading to muscle spasms. Have any of you had similar experiences? Or is my pipe smoking whole unrelated to my back pain, and probably actually helping me relax.
Just curious.
One more detail, I am a relatively healthy/active person. I have a very unusually slow heartbeat which certainly can pick up with a bowl of something intense.

 

[eaglerico]

First off I am not a doctor and think you should definitely consult your doctor.
I have 5 herniated discs. 3 in my neck and two in my lower back. The spine is a funny thing. Numerous times I have went to my doctor complaining about pain in one area and he starts pulling and stretching a different area, something pops or pulls and ....pow all my pain is gone. From what I have learned, is that one disc can bulge and put pressure on the spinal cord. Depending on how it is swelling can depend on what nerve in the spinal column it is pressuring thus you feel pain in different places in the body. With your issues traveling I think you either have a severely bulging disc that is getting worse or have several issue. Either way I think it is important you get to a doctor who will no doubt prescribe an MRI. I have went to several spinal specialist. One told me to take Aleave every morning to help with general pain. (Just don't take it on an empty stomach. Can lead to other problem long term).
To help aleviate some of your discomfort I would look up back rehab exercises. The stretching in the morning and at night will help tremendously.
To actually answer your question. I doubt pipe smoking is contributing to your issues. As some would say, stop listening for zebras.
Again, I am no doctor. Just someone with a decade of back issues.

 

[terrygoldman123]

I agree with Eaglerico. Your back and your pipes are likely unrelated. You may have herniations OR may have arthritis in your back, either way it IS MOST painful and I share your misery. Not sure about the MRI but do see a specialist since back injuries are debilitating. Have a bowlful on me.

 

[lordnoble]

I was always under the impression that nicotine had the opposite effect on blood flow.
I'll chime in with eaglerico. I'm no doctor nor do I have the problems you describe (probably because I'm not you), but I have found that posture while seated at work as well as stretching exercises throughout the day keep my back from aching.
I used to keep a copy of THIS STRETCHING GUIDE in my desk drawer, but I've since memorized them and no longer have it. I do at least one every fifteen or so minutes throughout the day.
Hope this helps and you get to the root of your pain.
-Jason

 

[crazypipe]

This is what you need.

 

[mso489]

You need to seek out not just a doctor, but a real M.D. to address this and diagnose

it in a comprehensive way, checking all of your systems so you look at your

immune system, endocrinology, arthritis, and so on. Let her/him refer you to

any alternative medicine such as massage (which can really help), chiropractor,

etc. Steer clear of herbalists and other alternative people unless it is cleared by

an M.D. That said, the next consideration would be, how much pipe smoking are

you doing? If it is pretty continual through the day, you might consider cutting back

to something more moderate; you can try that yourself, while waiting for your doctor's

appointment. Moderate pipe smoking would tend to relax you, I would think. As with

anything, you can override your system with too much -- green salad for that matter.

Speaking of which, you might ask your doctor about talking with a dietician in correcting

any dietary imbalance. It's annoying to adapt to a new diet, but sometimes can make

a big difference. If you can go to a university research hospital, you might have a better

chance of connecting with the kind of diagnosis that would help. I wish you the best

of improved health.

 

[numbersix]

All I can say is that tobacco hasn't given me any noticeable problems, though anything is possible.

While I KNOW the stress is part of the problem

FWIW, I'll never forget Howard Stern praising the hell out of this man:
Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection
http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446557684/ref=sr_1_1/175-5946176-9382913?ie=UTF8&qid=1372179712&sr=8-1&keywords=dr+sarno+books
Dr. John E. Sarno (born 1923) is Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University School of Medicine. This was many years ago but Stern swore up and down that this man saved his life and back.
(I realize Stern is very polarizing and many people hate him, but I must admit that I was a big Stern fan way back when he was on NBC radio. I lost interest once he left, but I never forgot him saying that this book saved his back.)
If you think stress may be partially to blame, this book might be worth looking into . Good luck. ::

 

[petes03]

I fractured one of my lower vertebra when I was in my early teens. I've had some sort of back pain every day since then. Can't really say I attribute it to smoking though. However that is very interesting. I would have never thought to link smoking and back pain together.

 

[dragonslayer]

Seeing the post heading I thought it would be perfect to chime in. Not what I expected to read at all, you need to see a specialist if you’re in this much pain. I was crushed in a car in 1979 with a broken back and pelvis fractured in six places. The 20 other fractures aside, up until 2000 the pain was bearable but has increased exponentially since. When I’m having a cigar or pipe (never smoked cigarettes) it’s a Zen experience. The relaxation of the pipe brings the pain level way down. Pain pills only go so far and a slippery slope I’ve dealt with for 30 years. I live at what would be called pain level four, having a bowl or stick relaxes the spine even more than my stretching and meditation. A few other members have chimed in with the same results in past threads.
See a doctor that specializes in spinal problems, not a regular GP. Your pipe isn’t causing the pain and you may have something serious going on.
Craig

 

[winton]

I noticed my 30 years of low back pain subsiding after I picked up the pipe. I finally found a way to relax.
Winton

 

[snagstangl]

I have a tendency to go from bottom up on these issues. I am also biased becuase I used to be a massage therapist. I would say after six months of stress go get yourself a massage, by a licensed massage therapist. If you get some relief there then just get a few more. If not, go to the doctor. Having someone work on your muscles themselves can do wonders. In my experiance lots of stress can manifest in pain and tight muscles in the mid and upper back along with your neck. I would second the stretching suggestion as well. Just my 2 cents.

 

[gmwolford]

I have a very rare neurological condition that has caused much pain , two surgeries, atrophy, spinal stenosis, partial paralysis, and more, all before I picked up the pipe. I actually find the relaxation I get from my pipe-time eases my pains, physical, mental and emotional, rather than exacerbating them. But you should see a doctor to find out what your pain is caused by. As my PT always said (she did her PhD thesis on my condition) the nervous system is a marvelous thing: it works perfectly until it is messed with and then it can go haywire and cause all kinds of extra problems.

 

[mso489]

Stress has all kinds of effects, and prolonged stress can have prolonged effects.

 

[surtrungr]

I think I might have to take a look at that Dr. Sarno book...

 

[easterntraveler]

Never heard of nicotine doing something like that. However stranger things have happend

 

[dochudson]

get it checked out by a real Orthopedic or Neurologist MD. then you can screw around with massage, chiropractors, books. A guy I worked with kept screwing around with all the options other then a real MD when it got to the point he had to drive into work with the seat laying back almost flat he wife insisted on a real doc. went in for an MRI and came out weeks later after multiple surgeries. his spine was full of cancer. died about 9 months later.