This was a large Canadian study and results demonstrated “this association remained significant after controlling for sociodemographics and any lifetime anxiety or mood disorder.” If smokers back pain dropped to normal after quitting, this would result in a 33% improvement. This is significantly better than the 20% some treatment can manage and might constitute a major objective for pain relief.
Addict Behav. 2010 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print]
Chronic musculoskeletal pain and cigarette smoking among a representative sample of Canadian adolescents and adults.
Zvolensky MJ, McMillan KA, Gonzalez A, Asmundson GJ. abstract here
- 76,204 cases with no LBP; 16,042 with LBP
Results:
Comment – I find many treatments can give a 20% improvement. Theoretically, smoking cessation could give a 33% improvement. If this holds true in longitudinal studies, then smoking cessation might be a prerequisite for treating certain patients.
Any comments?