On any given day, lower back pain afflicts 25% of the population; 80% of all adults will experience it as some point in their life, and it’s still a major cause of lost work days and workman compensation claims. Face it, as long as we walk upright, we’re going to have lower back pain of some sort.

Some lower back is due to various kinds of injuries. They must be handled within the parameters set forth by your doctor and orthopedist. Most lower back pain, however, is caused by a group of muscles called our core.

In general, lower back pain is the result of two contradictory conditions: abdominal muscles that are too loose; and lower back muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps that are too tight. The solution is to stretch the tight and strengthen the weak. As I said Tuesday, there are many online sources to find those stretching and strengthening exercises. The most important point is to do them regularly; if I miss my routine more than two days in a row, I can feel it. If you stop when you start to feel better, you’ll soon feel worse again.

Your core also contributes to the final physical approach to living every day you’re alive. I’ll cover that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: http://bit.ly/33zjJfh