^

Health

Back pain after alcohol and smoking

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 05.10.2018
Fact-checked
х

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Any person can feel the soreness in the back after an unregulated use of alcoholic beverages. In a state of intoxication you can fall asleep in a hard and heavy sleep in an uncomfortable position for a long time. As a result, some part of the body becomes numb, numb, muscles and joints stretch. This is also facilitated by a change in the rheological properties of blood under the influence of alcohol, the blood becomes viscous and dense and does not reach all tissues, especially supplied with arterioles and capillaries. The tissues feel oxygen starvation. In the morning, waking up, a person can feel numbness and pain in the back, often without specific localization. Even if you take a vertical position, you can see that one shoulder is higher than the other, and the first movements can be accompanied by pain in the back with irradiation in the thigh.

If this is a one-time situation and after a little warm-up the pain goes away, spasms cease and there is no numbness, nothing terrible has happened. It is recommended to do gymnastics and drink plenty of water.

As a result of chronic alcohol intoxication in humans, the work of the liver is violated, and consequently - the metabolism. The breakdown of metabolic processes leads to the fact that the joint and muscle tissues regularly experience hypoxia and receive less nutrients, even if they enter the body. In addition, people who suffer from alcohol dependence do not pay much attention to full and balanced nutrition, and often lead a sedentary lifestyle. Their bone and muscle tissue suffer from the fact that alcohol has diuretic properties. This is especially famous for beer, which many consider quite harmless drink. Regular losses of necessary substances, for example, calcium, potassium, magnesium, ascorbic acid, proteins lead to embrittlement of bones and muscle atrophy. Consequently, the dystrophic processes occur in the spine, leading to its curvature and the appearance of osteochondrosis, vertebral hernia, arthritis and arthrosis. Also any trauma, and in a state of alcoholic intoxication the probability of its reception increases, leads to complex and frequent fractures.

Alcoholic drinks negatively affect the kidneys, increasing the load on them and causing exhaustion of the organs. Chronic alcohol intoxication causes the formation of concrements in the kidneys and urinary organs, as well as inflammatory processes that claim pain in the back in the lumbar region. After the next libation, the pain usually aggravates.

Intense girdle pain, often radiating to the scapula, shoulder and back, is present in the symptoms of acute or chronic pancreatitis, which in most cases (up to 70%) develops on the basis of alcohol abuse after a regular feast. Sometimes for the emergence of acute pancreatitis, a one-time abundant libation is sufficient.

A strong sudden back pain after drinking does not exclude an attack of angina or an acute myocardial infarction. In this case, she often gives in the left arm, scapula, lower jaw.

Back pain after smoking

Recently, a lot of studies have been carried out, during which the assumption of a link between back pain and smoking is confirmed. One recent study conducted at the University of Rochester (USA) assessed the health status of patients with spinal disorders, comparing smoking, non-smokers and quitting during the course of the patients. Monitoring of their condition was carried out for a fairly long period of time - eight months. It involved more than five thousand people after a course of conservative treatment, many of whom underwent surgery. The intensity of the emerging pain was assessed by a visual analog scale.

Investigators who did not smoke at all reported the lowest intensity, the mean values were for those who abandoned the addiction during the experiment. Patients who continue to smoke have suffered much more pain. In this study, people with diseases of the musculoskeletal system took part, and at the University of Evanston (USA) they concluded that smoking itself causes chronic back pain. During the year, volunteers filled out questionnaires about their health status, the presence of bad habits, they all made a magnetic resonance tomogram of the brain.

Scientists came to the conclusion that smoking increases the activity of the interaction of the nucleus of the brain with the medial prefrontal cortex. This reduces the resistance of smokers to back pain and makes them more prone to its occurrence.

In addition to influencing the work of the brain, smoking increases the immediate risk of many diseases of vital organs, manifested by pain in the back. These are inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system (bronchitis, bronchial asthma, pneumonia), neoplasms of this localization. Smoking detrimental effects on the digestive system, increasing the risk of growth of tumors in the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach. Peptic ulcer and gastritis in smokers are observed more often than in non-smokers. From smoking, the main motor of the body suffers - the heart, experiencing regular oxygen starvation and overload, relieving the body of toxic substances.

Various studies confirm that quitting smoking is much more effective than any treatment, and heavy smokers who do not want to part with an addiction can not be cured.

trusted-source[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]

Translation Disclaimer: For the convenience of users of the iLive portal this article has been translated into the current language, but has not yet been verified by a native speaker who has the necessary qualifications for this. In this regard, we warn you that the translation of this article may be incorrect, may contain lexical, syntactic and grammatical errors.

You are reporting a typo in the following text:
Simply click the "Send typo report" button to complete the report. You can also include a comment.