Every time I see a new doctor and I mention my back pain, he or she asks me about my lifestyle. I mean, I know that if I lift a lot of stuff, my back might hurt, but what has how much I sleep, smoke or drink have anything to do with it? Sometimes I’m even asked if I have diabetes.

Back pain is one of the most common complaints that doctors see. When they are told that you have back pain, they have to make several assessments to understand if your pain is caused by something that can’t be helped or if you have a severe problem that needs to be dealt with before it can cause much more serious problems than just the pain.

To make their assessments, doctors have to have an idea of your whole lifestyle. Do you exercise, eat well, smoke, drink too much alcohol, and information like that. It’s been shown that many people who smoke and drink a lot of alcohol have a harder time healing than people who don’t. Doctors also need to know if you have any chronic illnesses, like diabetes or high blood pressure, because sometimes chronic diseases also affect how quickly someone heals. This information is also very important for medications to be prescribed.

If you are overweight, don’t exercise, stay in bed too much, and smoke, that tells the doctors that you may be at high risk for many illnesses and that some lifestyle changes may actually help improve your back pain.