smoking Archives - Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon

The Signs And Symptoms Of Smoker’s Feet

Lance Silverman, MD — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 22:14:06 +0000

You’re probably aware that smoking can have a significant affect on your heart and lungs, but you may be surprised to learn that it can also have a negative effect on your feet. In fact, smoking can even lead to a condition known as “smoker’s feet.” In today’s blog, we take a closer look at smoker’s feet and explain how you can help to improve the health of your feet if you’re a current or former smoker.

What Is Smoker’s Feet?

Smoker’s feet is a bit of an unofficial term that describes inhibited blood flow to a person’s feet. Since your feet are the part of your body that is furthest away from your heart, they need all the healthy blood that they can get. If smoking makes it harder for your feet to get the healthy blood they need to perform normal functions, a number of issues can arise.

Problems associated with poor circulation to your feet include:

Decreased wound healing
Formation of blood clots
Nerve damage
Decreased sensation in your feet
Tissue damage or death

And while smoker’s feet can describe a number of issues related to inhibited blood flow in your feet, it’s most closely associated with peripheral arterial disease or PAD. Peripheral arterial disease is categorized by plaque buildup in your arteries that limit blood flow to your extremities, and smoking is considered one of the leading risk factors for its onset. If you’re a current or former smoker and experiencing any of the following symptoms, you could be dealing with the early stages of PAD:

Tired or weak legs
Leg pain
Slow healing wounds on the feet
Cold, pale feet
Poor toenail growth

If you’re dealing with these symptoms, or you’re a smoker who hopes to avoid these problems in the future, Dr. Silverman and his team can help. For starters, if you’re a current smoker, it is highly advised that you work to wean off and eventually stop smoking and using nicotine. Nicotine has been shown to constrict your blood vessels, which limits the amount of healthy blood they can carry. It can also lead to hardening of the blood vessels, which will force the heart to work harder in order to pump blood. Other chemicals in cigarettes can make it easier for plaque to build up on your arteries.

Once you’ve kicked the habit, you’ll want to make some lifestyle changes that help to improve your circulation. Regular exercise is key, as is improving your diet to ensure your body has access to a range of healthy vitamins and nutrients to aid in structure development. Remember, it’s never too late to stop smoking and to start improving your circulation. Staying active and consuming a healthy diet will go a long way in helping to reverse the effects of smoking.

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New Study Finds Inactivity a Bigger Killer than Cigarettes

Lance Silverman, MD — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 14:20:33 +0000

Recent research shows that cutting out physical activity results in higher fatality rates than smoking cigarettes.

On a global scale, inactivity leads to roughly 5.3 million deaths each year. By comparison, cigarettes cause about 5 million deaths a year.

“Inactivity” is defined as less than 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.

Eliminating all physical inactivity worldwide is highly unlikely. But a mere 10% reduction in inactivity would prevent 533,000 deaths per year globally.

Dr. Silverman Comments

A famous French Orthopaedic Surgeon Lucas Championniere once said, “Life is motion and motion is life.”

This study is a great example of that notion.

This article does not indirectly promote smoking, but shows that sitting still is just as bad.

So put that remote down, get off the couch and run in place, do some pushups, leg lifts and air squats. Better yet, go outside for a 30 minute walk and start sweating. Get your Vitamin D from the sun at the same time.

The moral of the study is simple: get moving and you will live longer.

Related Sources:

medpagetoday.com

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Quitting Smoking can Lead to Better Recovery after Surgery

Lance Silverman, MD — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:22:14 +0000

The negative effects of smoking on the cardiovascular system have been well documented, but there hasn’t been much research on smoking’s impact on the musculoskeletal system.

This lack of research has made many orthopedic specialists hesitant to discuss smoking with their patients. Now orthopedic surgeons will be able to confidently discourage their patients from smoking as new research has detailed the negative effects of smoking on the musculoskeletal system.

The study found that orthopedic patients who stopped smoking had better results in both surgical and non-surgical treatments. Smoking has been shown to delay healing, and increase the risk of infection following surgery. It may also increase the risk of conditions that require orthopedic surgery.

For example, one study of patients who had hindfoot fusions reported that smokers had a higher rate of nonunion than those who quit smoking prior to surgery.

This research shows the importance of orthopedic specialists encouraging their patients to quit smoking.

“Smoking is not only bad for your lungs, but for your bones and your skin? I have been telling my patients for years and I am proud to say a few have quit,” says Foot & Ankle specialist, Dr. Lance Silverman. “Sadly, too many continue. Smoking leads to osteoporosis, skin wound delayed healing and infections, nonunion of fracture healing and fusions, arthritis, lumbar disk degeneration—the list goes on. How much more information do people need to stop something that is so bad for them? Quitting can help reverse these risks.”

Related Sources:

aaos.org

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