A message from Josh Barney, DC, Practice Manager, Carpenters Wellness Center Chiropractic Team
I wanted to wish a Happy New Year to all of our wonderful members and their families! With a new year comes a time to reflect on our resolutions for the upcoming 12 months. Change is an undeniable struggle for many.
Two of the most common resolutions each year are quitting smoking and weight loss. From a chiropractic perspective, I see patients with chronic pain every day that fall into one or both categories. However, pain can be a significant influencer to modifying personal habits. I hope that some of the information below can help give you a few more reasons to stick to your resolutions for 2024!
Regarding Weight Loss:
- Being just 10 pounds overweight increases the force on the knee by 30-60 pounds with each step.1
- Those that are overweight are more likely to experience low back pain as well as an increased chance of experiencing a herniated disc.2
- Being overweight is more likely to cause foot pain, flatter feet, and show an increase in foot ailments such as plantar fasciitis.3
Regarding smoking cessation:
- Studies have found that smoking can increase pain sensitivity. This means that chronic neck or back pain may feel worse with smoking. In turn, pain levels may improve by quitting smoking. Researchers have found that smoking cessation can improve spine health and reduce the risk of diseases like sciatica.4
- Current smokers have more advanced disc degeneration than nonsmokers. This can lead to painful conditions such as disc bulges/herniations and osteoarthritis of the neck and back.5
- About 18% of people in the United States are smokers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet smokers make up more than 50% of patients who seek pain treatment. Smoking slows the body’s ability to heal and regenerate. Even smoking one cigarette decreases the body’s ability to deliver necessary nutrients for healing.6, 7
Hopefully, this information can help bring you one step closer to accomplishing your resolutions, as well as help you to decrease pain levels in joints throughout your body! As always, the Chiropractic Team at Carpenters Wellness Center is happy to help you or anyone in your family experiencing issues causing joint pain, muscle pain, stiffness, dysfunction, weakness, radiating symptoms, or headaches. One of our chiropractors will build a custom-tailored treatment plan that works with you to meet your goals. Our main objective is to help you reach your goals with advanced, evidence-based solutions that work alongside your body’s own healing ability. We deliver safe and effective hands-on or instrument-based treatments for your ailment(s) by combining the latest research and proven techniques.
To schedule an appointment with a Carpenters Wellness Center chiropractic provider, please call 314.955.WELL (9355).
1 https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/patient-corner/disease-management/role-of-body-weight-in-osteoarthritis/#:~:text=Joint%20Pain%20is%20Strongly%20Associated%20with%20Body%20Weight,-Being%20only%2010&text=Clearly%2C%20being%20overweight%20increases%20the,hasten%20the%20breakdown%20of%20cartilage
2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3629398/
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4595171/
4 https://www.sciatica.com/from-the-doc/how-does-smoking-affect-back-pain/#:~:text=Nicotine%20can%20shrink%20blood%20vessels,or%20stiffness%20in%20your%20spine
5 https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20160218/add-neck-problems-to-reasons-not-to-smoke#:~:text=18%2C%202016%20(HealthDay%20News),can%20lead%20to%20neck%20pain
6 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-smoking-will-worsen-your-chronic-pain/
7 https://www.who.int/news/item/20-01-2020-smoking-greatly-increases-risk-of-complications-after-surgery#:~:text=Smoking%20distorts%20a%20patient’s%20immune,nutrients%20for%20healing%20after%20surgery
