How Smoking Increases Risk of Slipped disc: Smoking cigarettes has always been very harmful for health. Many types of diseases occur in the body due to its consumption. Awareness is spread in every way about the dangers of smoking, but even after this people continue to smoke. People already know about the loss of lungs due to smoking and the risk of cancer, but now the risk of slip disc is also increasing due to smoking addiction.
Smoking can cause cancer, smoking can fill the lungs, causing lungs to deteriorate. Almost everyone knows this type of warning but now smoking can damage your spine. Neigrihms, Shillong, some doctors have issued a serious warning about the matter to remove smoking from their life with immediate effect. Otherwise, this addiction can reach you in a painful state, which can increase the risk of herniated discs. In which the discs like a cushion sticking between the spinal bones burst from its place, which is called slip disc.
What did doctors of neigrihms tell
Doctors at the North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Health Institute (NEIGRIHMS) located in Shillong have said that research has revealed that smoking is causing slip disc problems. The team of doctors treated a patient whose spinal cord had persistent pain. Doctors used tubular microdicomi tubes to reduce the pressure in their spine while performing the patient’s surgery. In this entire process, 4 pieces were extracted from the spine of the patient. Which was a surprising case.
What is slip disc
The problem of slip disc comes when the spinal disc is shaken from its place, due to which there is severe pain in the waist, neck and legs. The reason for this is pressure on the veins, due to which there is severe pain in the waist and neck as well as symptoms of tingling. Earlier this problem used to be with aging, but now smoking is also becoming a reason for this.
How to smoking is increasing slip disc problem
- Experts say that cigarettes contain harmful chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, toxic hydrocarbons. These toxic hydrocarbons present in cigarette smoke damage collagen fibers that help keep the outer layer of disk strong.
- The collagen makes the disk luxurious but when it becomes weak, the disc comes in a position of dry, hard and breakdown- especially in the lower back (lower back).
- But these chemicals present in cigarettes affect the oxygen supply in the blood, which slows down the flow of blood and the blood vessels start to shrink. Due to which disk nutrition is not weakened and breaks down. Along with this, swelling also increases.
- Smoking causes cough. The more you coughs, it has a direct effect on the spinal cord, which causes the risk of broken into the disc. Due to these reasons, discs can cause disc hronals and back pain in smokers.
What are the initial symptoms?
Tinge
Vulgarity
Pain after sitting for a long time
Lowering ability to walk in legs (foot drop)
Pain that does not stop even during a walk or sleep
Is treatment possible?
Yes, if you decide to take time, then improvement is possible. First of all, leave smoking completely. This improves blood flow, healing capacity and inflammation and opens the way to improve the condition of the disc.
After this, adopt physical therapy and core-strenching exercises. If the disk is very herniated, minimum invasive surgery like tubular micro discactomy can help help
Also, to help the disk, follow vitamin D, collagen supplements and medicines suggested by the doctor.