India, Dec. 13 -- Often, neck and back pain are blamed on long hours of poor posture at work or excessive scrolling on the phone. But there is one more common, albeit infamously unhealthy, lifestyle habit that also contributes to neck and back pain: smoking. Yes, smoking is associated with life-threatening ailments such as cancer and heart disease. But what many do not realise, smoking is also related to other health issues, sometimes even the common ones people face every day, like neck and back pain. There are some of the lesser-discussed effects that hinder daily functioning, comfort and mobility.

Dr Jay Jagannathan is a neurosurgeon at the Michigan Neurosurgery Institute, specialising in multidisciplinary neurosurgery and pain manage...