Back/Chest Pain Worsened By Smoking?

[49 Osc/Sec]

I've been experiencing a pain right under my left shoulder blade that seems to shoot through to the front of my ribcage for a couple of months now. Normally during the day it's hardly noticeable and can usually be relieved through stretching or sitting up straighter. I'm pretty sure it's muscle tension but in the past I was afraid it was pain coming from my lungs from smoking too much. I've had a couple tests done at the doctors to see if anything was wrong with my lungs and they checked out okay. The pain only gets worse from smoking weed anyways, not from cigs or other forms of tobacco.

What I was wondering is if smoking weed can cause more tension in the muscles in my back? I know a lot of people who actually smoke to RELIEVE symptoms like this so I'm somewhat confused. The pain is actually getting bad enough to a point where I don't want to smoke anymore because I get severe anxiety about it.

 

[Outta Pocket]

You seem pretty focused on the pain, so maybe weed is having a (psychosomatic) effect on you and making you focus on it more when you're high.

You could try a vaporizer and report back. In any case, if it's amplifying the pain or seems to be amplifying the pain, you have to start asking yourself if the pros of smoking outweigh the cons.

 

[sunshinefix]

You could be slouching a little when you smoke. Slouching always makes my back hurt. Some people also experience back pain more at night, and if you smoke at night too it could just be the time of day.

Have you tried a night just not smoking, to see whether or not you still experience the pain?

 

[Pegasus]

I have had a very similar issue, slightly different spot but similarly panicked about whenever smoking. It's hard to say how much worse focusing on the feeling made the situation, as my lungs were likely crying to some degree because of the abuse of daily smoking. However, I think anxiety is the biggest factor here, blowing some minor discomfort out of proportion. I did eventually start vaporizing or smoking less, and the health benefits have certainly eased my mind of this type of panic.

Basically, I believe it is a little of a health problem and a lot of anxiety.

PS- My experience is the same, down all the way to the stretching to get rid of the pain. Stretching also helped me, and I agree that bad posture does seep in when high. This problem is very complex, and I believe everything I discussed is probably at play to some degree.

 

[Chainer]

Try smoking Indica strains instead. If your pain is not eased, I would say it is mostly a "in your head" type thing, but nobody will be able to tell you for certain.

 

[Roger&Me]

I have a similar pain, in the exact same place that you describe. I also used to worry that it was caused by the effects of smoke on my lungs. (Kinda odd how similar my situation is to yours).

Well, it turns out that it was caused by a combination of slouching / bad-posture, and not enough upper-body exercise-- specifically pulling and rowing exercises.

My doctor put me at ease as well, when he told me that most lung symptoms manifest in the upper chest and not the back, because of how the pulmonary nerves are configured.

 

[Joey Miggs]

Go to a doctor, immediately. Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to have low back pain, but have a scan done. 99% it is nothing, but follow through w/ a doctor's appointment.

 

[d-st0n3r]

ive had veryy similiar pains back/chest pains, i figured out that it was cured by-- excercise, not spending so much time on the computer arms extended back slouched, stretching, ok posture, and pushups and situps. dont got no stupid painns no more son

 

[49 Osc/Sec]

Hmm. Thanks for the responses guys

It definitely feels like it's a problem of exercise/posture. I spend most of my time in front of the computer and I lift boxes continuously all night through work. I don't know about having worse pain at night because I've been a daytime sleeper since I was in middle school.

Definitely gonna start working on some upper body exercise from now on.