| Pain in the lower back, or lumbar region, is | | | | straight and correctly supported. Cycling, |
| experienced by around 80% of people at one | | | | swimming and walking are all exercises that will |
| time or another during their lives. The most | | | | improve fitness levels without straining your back. |
| common type is known as 'non-specific' lumbar | | | | Another recommendation is to ensure that your |
| pain, and as the name suggests, it's not normally | | | | chairs offer proper lumbar support. If your |
| possible to attribute the pain to a specific cause; | | | | existing chairs don't provide the necessary |
| such as a trapped nerve, arthritis or slipped | | | | support, there are many specially designed |
| (herniated) disc. In some cases the pain may be | | | | cushions and pillows which you can use. All of |
| severe and spread from the lower back out to | | | | these devices are designed to fill in the natural |
| other areas of the body, such as the upper legs. | | | | hollow left between the chair and your lower |
| The good news is that for most people, the pain | | | | back. They are cheap and easy to carry with you |
| will subside within a few days, although it may | | | | if need be. Don't ignore your car seat either; long |
| recur again at some point in the future. To help | | | | car journeys can be a prime cause of back pain if |
| recovery, doctors used to recommend resting as | | | | the seat fails to provide adequate support. If you |
| much as possible. Nowadays however, they | | | | do regular heavy lifting, and particularly if you've |
| suggest exactly the opposite and research has | | | | suffered from lumbar pain before, it might be a |
| shown that recovery is more rapid in people who | | | | good idea to consider wearing a suitable support |
| continue with their normal lives and try to stay | | | | belt. |
| active as much as possible. | | | | Back pain can be debilitating, and any measures |
| How to Prevent Lumbar Pain | | | | you take to prevent it can pay dividends. Taking |
| There are a couple steps you can take to help | | | | regular gentle exercise and ensuring you use |
| prevent you suffering from lower back pain. | | | | adequate support when sitting will help the |
| Regular exercise will help keep your muscles in | | | | problem. |
| tone, which in turn assists in keeping your spine | | | | |