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Smoking Hazardous to Your Bones

2,803 views · Published 24 August 2015 · 1:31 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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More than fifty years ago, the US Surgeon General released a landmark study linking tobacco use to lung and cardiovascular disease. Its harmful effects are now widely recognized, but few people realize smoking can also be hazardous to your bones.

“Smoking affects every organ in your body; that doesn’t exclude bones,” says Dr. Ed Humbert, an orthopedic surgeon on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. 

People who use tobacco face a higher risk of fracture due to decreased bone density or osteoporosis. Most impacted are bones in the wrist, hip and spine. Should a bone break or require surgery, it can take twice as long to heal. 

“It’s a significant difference not just in the studies, I’ve seen where it may take 20 weeks to heal a long bone, which would be a femur or tibia, and may extend that healing time up to 6 to 8 weeks,” says Dr. Humbert. 

Additionally, there is potential for compromised blood flow, which deprives tissue of oxygen. It can complicate surgery and recovery.

“Which again puts the incisions at risk of not healing, which would make them more prone to get infections,” says Dr. Humbert. 

Kicking the habit even two weeks before surgery and not smoking for at least six weeks after may help healing.

“The oxygen and healing of skin is very acutely related to how much you’re smoking at the time you’re having your actual procedure,” says Dr. Humbert. 

If you need a spark to put down tobacco, do it for your bone’s sake. 

View More Health Matters video segments at leememorial.org/healthmatters/

Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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