Smokers are more likely to develop back pain… and are slower to recover

People who smoke are three times more likely than non-smokers to develop chronic back pain, says new research published in Human Brain Mapping in the first study to link smoking and chronic pain with the part of the brain associated with addiction and reward.
A total of 160 adults with new cases of back pain were given MRI brain scans and rated the intensity of their back pain at five different times over a year. They also filled out a questionnaire about smoking status and other health issues. Of this group, 32 people with chronic back pain were monitored and compared with 35 health people.
The research group looked at MRI activity between two brain areas involved in addictive behaviour, and motivated learning. These areas are critical in the development of chronic pain and the experts found that the strength of connection between the two helps determine who will become a chronic pain patient.
By showing how the part of the brain involved in motivated learning allows tobacco addiction to interface with pain becoming chronic, the findings hint at a more general link between addiction and pain.
“That circuit was very strong and active in the brains of smokers,” says Bogdan Petre, lead reseracher. “But we saw a dramatic drop in this circuit’s activity in smokers who – of their own will – quit smoking during the study, so when they stopped smoking, their vulnerably to chronic pain also decreased.
“Smoking affects the brain. We found that it affects the way the brain responds to back pain and seems to make individuals less resilient to an episode of pain.”

Subscribe to Arthritis Digest, the UK’s fastest growing arthritis magazine for all the latest arthritis news, reviews and celebrity interviews. You’ll know what your doctor is talking about, what new drugs are in the pipeline and be up to date on helpful products. Hard copy and digital versions both available. Click here for more information.

Image credit: SuperFantastic