can smoking cause sciatica?

Answer 1

Smoking would not cause sciatica. It might cause a lot of other diseases , but this is not one of them. I have included excepts from two different sites that explain about sciatica and its causes.

What you need to know about sciatica

Understanding sciatica
Low back pain and/or leg pain that usually travels down the large sciatic nerve, from the lower back down the back of each leg, is generally referred to as sciatica and is fairly common. This pain can be caused when a nerve root in the lower spine that helps form the sciatic nerve is pinched or irritated.

Sciatica is usually caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve from a herniated disc (also referred to as a ruptured disc, pinched nerve, slipped disk, etc.) in the lumbar spine. The problem is often diagnosed as a "radiculopathy", meaning that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica occurs most frequently in people between 30 and 50 years of age. Often a particular event or injury does not cause sciatica, but rather it may develop as a result of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical treatments (http://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/d_sciatica/sc01.html)

What happens to cause sciatica?
The most common cause of sciatica is a herniated spinal disc. When this happens, the normal cushion between the vertebra of your spine ruptures. This causes the disc to push out into areas normally occupied by these nerves. The nerves are compressed and people then experience the symptoms of pain, weakness, and numbness. Other conditions, such as spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, or piriformis syndrome can also cause cause sciatica symptoms by irritating the nerve (http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/backpain/a/sciatica.htm).

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

No sciatica is not brought on by smoking.I have suffered with sciatica for many years,i have regular treatment up my local hospital.I have also had a very bad bck due to my work lifting patients,then having my daughter 9 years ago.The consultant said that it can be brought on just like that,even if you havent a bad bck.The muscles in your bck go into spasms, and some times the disks rub,this what causes the pain on the left and the tingling and numb sensations down the left leg.If its very bad and it affects the way you live go and see your gp he should refer you to the bck specialist or a pain clinic in your hospital,they will fully examine you and give you the right treatment,pain relief and physio,this all helps believe me.Good Luck

Answer 5

I don't think it can cause sciatica...ask a GP
but we all know the dangers of smoking so even if it does not cause sciatica there is still cancer, heart disease etc etc
I gave up 4 months ago best thing I ever did.

Answer 6

As far as I know it can't cause sciatica, but it certainly can cause a condition called claudication which can be similar. Claudication is a cramping pain in the leg due to poor blood flow. If this is happening regularly during the day, especially brought on by walking, see your doctor. He will check the pulses in your feet to make sure the blood flow is reaching them - if not then you will need a scan (doppler) of the deep veins in your legs to see if there is any blockage. If your foot changes colour (either goes very white or very dusky) or there is any ulcerated areas that won't heal, it is very likely to be a circulatory problem and needs quick medical attention.

Answer 7

Generally smoking would not cause sciatica, or at least there are no direct links. That being said, smoking can and will delay the healing process specifically if you have any type of nerve damage. Nerves heal at best maybe a millimeter per day (1 inch per month) and smoking delays if not halts this process since nerve heals so slowly.

Answer 8

If you asked your GP he/she would say, no, it does not cause sciatica. And wouldn't start going on and on about what other diseases it can cause so I don't know why people start telling you what diseases smoking can cause when you only asked about sciatica.

Answer 9

Hmm i'd be hard pressed to fathom how smoking can affect nerves that run from your back to your shins but wierder things have happened i guess. I'd be interested to read the articles if anyone can find some hard scientific facts/research on this.

Interesting theory!

Answer 10

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