DID you know that according to studies, nine out of every 10 office-goers are inflicted with back pain at least once in their working lives?!

No doubt, back pain is sometimes inevitable as we grow older due to aging. Yet, the right lifestyle choices and correct posture, when you are young, can help prevention. So, as they say: watch you back!

3 reasons why your back aches

Dr Amitabh Dwyer (Senior Orthopaedician Yeovil General Hospital, the UK) spells them out:

1. Gravity

It might sound strange but gravity affects your muscles and joints, by putting pressure on the joints and allowing them to degenerate. You will get relief when you lie down to rest because you are not fighting gravity for that much time. One can't eliminate gravity but you can definitely get your eight hours of sleep to avoid pain!

2. No warm-ups

Sure you warm up for sports and exercises. But do you warm up for gardening, household chores and other physically strenuous tasks? Most likely not. Most accidents, injuries, lower back pain occur because your body is ill-prepared for the work you are about to do.

The shock of sudden jerky movements causes the muscles to tighten, causing lower back pain. So, you need to warm up for all exercise, whether it is a sport, gearing up for work or at home. Go for a walk, stretch before you get into action.

3. Bad posture

Remember our mothers and teachers always asked us to sit straight. Well, it all makes sense now.
"Take corrective measures when you have pain in the back and not wait for the problem to aggravate," says Dr Dwyer.

Photograph: AP/Rick Stevens
In the image: Tennis star Jelena Jankovic complains of a back ache at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

(Image used for illustrative purposes only)

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e-mail: Harsh Vardhan Dutta

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