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Related Experiment Videos

Back pain, ventilatory function, chest symptoms, and smoking.

M E Dewey1, C E Dickinson, T K Foreman

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Liverpool, England.

Journal of Spinal Disorders
|December 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

This study found that chest symptoms, not smoking directly, are linked to back pain. Smokers and those with chronic chest issues reported more back pain, suggesting an indirect relationship.

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Area of Science:

  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Epidemiology
  • Musculoskeletal Health

Background:

  • Previous studies suggested a link between smoking and back pain.
  • The relationship between respiratory health, smoking, and back pain requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between respiratory symptoms, smoking habits, and the prevalence and severity of back pain.
  • To clarify the potential indirect relationship between smoking and back pain through shared respiratory pathways.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 909 volunteers underwent ventilatory function tests and provided a history of back pain.
  • Participants completed postal questionnaires after one year, detailing back pain experience, smoking status, and respiratory symptoms (breathlessness, coughing, phlegm).

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  • Subjects were categorized based on back pain frequency (nonbacks, mild backs, chronic backs) and respiratory symptoms (good, mild, bad chests).

    • Main Results:

    • Ventilatory function was reduced in smokers and individuals with "bad chests".
    • Smokers reported significantly worse chest symptoms.
    • Women reporting back pain were more likely to be smokers; men with back pain showed no such association.
    • Chest symptoms were significantly more severe in individuals with "chronic backs".

    Conclusions:

    • The observed association between smoking and back pain in prior studies may be incidental.
    • The findings suggest that chest symptoms, rather than smoking itself, are associated with back pain.
    • Respiratory health appears to be a confounding factor in the relationship between smoking and back pain.