Your back doesn't hurt for the fun of it.  There has to be a reason for your pain.  Something destructive is going on.  This destructive force is one of two types: 1. High force instant trauma or 2. Low force long term trauma.  Think of high force as being hit once by a big truck.  This will definitely do damage.  Think of Low force as being run over by 1,000 motorcycles.  The end result is the same, one is quick the other just takes longer.  Your back is damaged just the same.  You can do something like fall down or lift wrong and POW!, instant destruction and pain or can spend your days sitting, bending and driving and get your back pain slowly over time.

 That's right, sitting is bad for you.  It is the best example of long term trauma.  In cultures where back pain is rare the common thread is that they don't sit.  Sitting puts 1,100% more pressure into your spine than laying down.  It tires the muscles and wears out your discs.   A damaged disc is the last thing you want.  A healthy disc acts as a shock absorber between your vertebrae (the bones in your spine).  A damaged disc can bulge out and press on nerve roots causing pain in your back, hips and down into your legs if the damage is bad enough.  Damaged discs can heal but they take a long time and are a true curse to those that have to live with them.  Prevention is infinitely better than cure.  The pain of a damaged disc is so intense and depressing that many people opt for surgery.

Sometimes surgery is the only thing that can help.  Some facts to keep in mind are that according to research, 50% of all back surgeries fail in one year.  Failure means that the patient has the same back pain they started out with in the first place.  Surgery also has certain inherent dangers such as infection, drug reactions and iatrogenic (doctor caused) complications.  The American Academy of Surgeons states that two months of "conservative management" (i.e. Chiropractic by a Chiropractor) should be performed before surgery is considered.
 

How do you care for your discs?  In my practice I have the Five Golden Rules for low back pain: 1. If something hurts your back, quit doing it immediately. 2. Don't sit. 3. Don't bend your back to lift, use your legs, bend your knees.  4. Don't arch your back. 5. Use ice for pain not heat.  Number two (2. Don't sit) is the one that gives people the most problem.  You have to be inventive here.  Reduce your driving time.  Take the bus and stand up.  Put a bookcase or table next to your desk at work, put your work on it and stand rather than sit.  Come up with your own ideas.  Just use your mind.  In the early 1990's the Italian F1 racing team enlisted the help of a Chiropractor in designing their seats.  He installed sacral support under the lumbar support.  This really helped keep the spinal muscles rested and relaxed.  You can do the same thing by putting a towel along the lowest part of the back support of your car seat.  It should not push against your spine but rather just support it comfortably.  Try it and see the differance.

Not all low back pain is caused by discs.  Some times it's sprained muscle.  Low back pain is very rarely just muscle problems though.  Muscles, nerves and bones are linked together and work in harmony.  What effects one affects the rest.  Many times it is nerve pressure resulting from vertebral misalignment that causes muscle tightness in the first place.  Correcting this vertebral misalignment is what Chiropractic is all about.  Chiropractic is the only healing discipline focused on, but not limited to, the study of the spine. "The main problem with back pain is that none of the medical specialties spend much time on it at the undergraduate level." says one researcher.  In Chiropractic, the interrelationship of nerves, muscles and the skeletal system is the main focus.

What you wear on your feet can cause back pain also.  Your feet, ankles, knees and all the other joints all the way to the top of your head are part of what is called a "Kinetic Chain."  They are all linked; one affects the other.  If you wear the typical flat sandal or massage sandal your heels can very easily slip off the edge when you walk.  This causes an inward tilting of the foot called "Pronation."  This in turn and over time can cause ankle pain, knee pain, hip and low back pain.  Wear proper sandals with a deep heel cup or a strap to hold the heel in place.  A good arch support helps also and make sure the sandal is flat not raised.

Low back pain is a widespread problem in human beings but with caution and thought on our part we can get through life without it.

### EOF

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(Not a part of article but interesting)

Sixteen of 17 studies between 1940 and 1981 showed that, for low back pain, Chiropractic returns the patients to work faster, is less expensive and has fewer indirect costs than medical treatment.
-Department of Defense (USA): Chiropractic evaluation study: Task III report of relevant Literature.  OCHAMPUS 1986

After three (3) weeks of Chiropractic care, totally disabled patients with constant, severe back pain who had not responded to conservative medical care were able to return to work symptom-free or with mild, intermittent pain.
  -Managing low back pain.  Canadian Family Physician, 1985

COST COMPARISON MD vs CHIROPRACTIC

A study of the insurance claims by 8,928 patients with 10,884 episodes of back pain – 7,880 of which were initiated with Chiropractic or medical physician – indicated that the total insurance payments were substantially greater for medically initiated episodes than Chiropractic, especially episodes lasting more than one day.  In-patient, medically treated patient payments were nearly seven (7) times as great while out-patient payments were nearly 50% higher than Chiropractic.
-Stano M:  The economic role of Chiropractic: an episode analysis of relative insurance costs for low back care.  J of the Neuromusculoskeletal System 1993; 1(2):64-68