Connection between smoking and back pain - findings from an Icelandic general population study

• Main Authors: Lindal, E, Stefansson, J G
• Other Authors: Department of Psychiatry, National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Scandinavian University Press 2010
• Subjects: Back Pain; Female; Humans; Iceland; Male; Middle Aged; Sex Distribution; Smoking
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/115585

The association between pain in general, back pain and smoking was studied in a sample of subjects from the general public (n = 862). The results show that smoking men had pain problems more frequently than women (p < 0.0001). In comparison with non-smokers, smokers were found to have back pains more frequently (p < 0.01). Male smokers were also found to have a higher frequency of intervertebral disc problems than female smokers (p < 0.009). The frequency of disc problems encountered by the smoking subjects indicates a possible connection between smoking and back pain.