3 tips to reduce lower back pain and prevent future problems

Almost every adult has experienced lower back pain. In some cases, the cause is serious and requires medical attention, while in others, making simple lifestyle changes can bring relief and prevent problems. Let’s assume you don’t need medical attention, which raises the question: What can you do to avoid lower back pain and reduce the potential for major lower back problems in the future?

For starters, it’s helpful to understand the primary risk factors, and as always, age takes center stage because advancing years tends to make everything that’s going wrong worse. For example, our upright posture places strain on the middle sections of the body, front and back, and this requires an ongoing minimal level of strength and flexibility. Over time, unless you take steps to avoid it, you get weaker and lose flexibility, leaving the lower back vulnerable.

To make matters worse, as we age, we tend to accumulate excess body fat, especially in the midsection, resulting in the perfect formula for disaster.

So here’s what to know about the causes of lower back pain and how to fight them:

How excess belly fat places stress on lower back muscles

A protruding midsection and lack of strong, flexible muscles can be manifested in what I call the “paper clip syndrome.”

Here’s how it works: a person walks into a room and sees a paper clip on the floor. He bends to retrieve it and his lower back explodes in pain. A paper clip is used to signify that no heavy lifting was involved and the only event was bending over. The key is, the person was poised for disaster and all that was required was a minor effort to trigger it.