Alcohol and tobacco are known as favorite foods that adversely affect health. Alcohol is known to harm the liver and tobacco to lung health. If so, how will it affect spinal health? Find out which is worse for your back, alcohol or tobacco.
Cigarette constricts blood vessels and accelerates disc degeneration
Between the vertebrae are discs that act as shock absorbers. Lumbar disc disease, as we know it often, is caused by degenerative changes in this disc that harden or press the nerves out of place, resulting in pain. The nicotine component of cigarettes constricts peripheral blood vessels, and at this time, nutrients and metabolites supplied to the disc do not move smoothly, so degenerative changes of the disc are accelerated. In particular, smoking following spinal surgery not only slows recovery but also increases the likelihood of recurrence.
Joo Yun-seok, deputy director of the Spine Center at Gangseo Nanuri Hospital, said, “In the case of spinal disc surgery, the operation is performed to release the nerve that has been compressed by the protruding disc. At this time, damaged nerves need to be restored with a smooth blood supply, but the recovery is difficult because smoking interferes with the blood supply. Therefore, you must stop smoking for at least two weeks following surgery.”
If you are a patient who has undergone a spinal fusion surgery, in which the damaged disc is removed and artificial bones are inserted to fix the spinal node, smoking cessation is essential. This is because smoking can interfere with bone fusion. Smoking causes the blood vessels to constrict and the amount of oxygen in the bone tissue decreases, reducing the bone’s ability to produce bone. In addition, nicotine inhibits the function of bone-forming cells and lowers the blood level of estrogen, which interferes with the absorption of vitamin D and calcium, thereby weakening the bones. Therefore, patients who have undergone spinal fusion should stop smoking for 3 months.
Drinking alcohol following surgery interferes with nerve recovery… Must stop drinking for at least 1 month
So what regarding alcohol? Although alcohol does not directly affect the disc as cigarettes do, if you have had spinal surgery, you should avoid alcohol for a period of time. As with cigarettes, it takes time for nerves to recover following spinal surgery, but if you drink alcohol, swelling of the nerves does not subside well and inflammation may occur. Therefore, you should refrain from drinking for regarding a month following surgery.
Joo Yun-seok, vice president of the Spine Center at Gangseo Nanuri Hospital, said, “Although alcohol does not directly affect the spine, the drinking environment is harmful to the spine. Usually, having a drinking party lasts for a long time, but at this time, you have to sit for a long time, which puts a great strain on your spine. Also, if you get so drunk that you can’t control your body, you may have a fall accident, so it’s better to avoid drinking too much if you have had spinal surgery.”
Even if the amount of smoking is low, the disc is adversely affected.
Smoking is equally applicable to not only direct smokers but also secondhand smokers, so if you are hospitalized for rehabilitation or recovery following surgery, you must stop smoking. In addition, you might think that reducing the amount of smoking would be better, but smoking, regardless of the amount, adversely affects the blood supply, slowing the recovery rate and causing recurrence.
Regular smoking cessation and avoidance of alcohol are necessary for spinal health. A good lifestyle and regular exercise are also helpful for spinal health. It is important to avoid the habit of sitting for long periods of time and to move your body once an hour to ensure that the disk is well nurtured. In addition, strengthening the core muscles (deep muscles) through plank or bridge exercises from time to time is also helpful for spinal health.
