More Reasons to Quit
Lighting Up

ROYAL OAK, Mich. - It would not surprise me if you had heard one or more of the following facts:

1. Today, an estimated 45 million adults in the U.S. (21% of adults) smoke cigarettes.

2. Tobacco causes lung (and other kinds of) cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. It causes 1 in 3 cancer deaths, and 1 in 5 deaths from all causes. That accounts for more than 400,000 deaths per year.

3. Smokers live an average of 14 years less than non-smokers.

4. Over 8 million people are living with serious illnesses caused by smoking.

5. Sixty percent of nonsmokers have evidence of exposure to secondhand smoke and that could harm their health; it is the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.

It would surprise me, however, if you had heard any of the facts regarding the effects of cigarette smoking on the musculoskeletal system. The following are sad but true facts that might sway you or the smoker you love to consider quitting smoking. Courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

1. Smoking decreases bone mineral density, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and subsequent fracture. Even secondhand smoke leads to bone density loss. More women will die from hip fractures than from breast cancer.

2. Smoking prevents bone healing both after fracture and after surgery; it also detrimentally affects wound healing because nicotine decreases blood flow to all tissues. Also, smokers have decrased patient satisfaction following surgery. Quitting smoking before surgery improves healing and decreases recovery time.

3. Smoking is associated with increased incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and a higher risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease affecting many organ systems (including musculoskeletal).

4. Smoking is associated with rotator cuff disease in the shoulder.

5. Mothers exposed to tobacco delivered babies with low birth weight and decreased bone development.

If it is time for you or your loved one to kick butt, talk to your doctor and/or check out the following sites:

American Lung Association -- Smoking Cessation Support

U.S Department of Health and Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

American Cancer Society