

Rehabilitation from an injury or surgery requires the utmost care. Smoking also lowers good cholesterol and raises the dangerous form of cholesterol, as well as raising the chances of erectile dysfunction, and now it’s clear that it slows bone healing as well. Smokers are more likely to develop certain chronic diseases, including heart disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is bad news for the bodyĭespite what’s currently known about the negative impact of smoking on people’s health, an estimated 37 million American adults still smoke cigarettes. We’ve outlined some points to consider if you’ve recently broken a bone or undergone orthopedic surgery.

When smokers do heal from broken bones, their bones are more prone to reinjury than those who don’t smoke. Scientists long suspected a link between smoking and delayed bone healing, but we now know that quitting smoking may mean the difference between a speedy recovery from a fracture and months of getting better.
