The Spine
Understanding the spine and how it works and how you can protect it is half of the battle. We are notoriously all a bit lax when it comes to posture, how we sit and stand, and not lifting items correctly.
Weight and Back Pain
Being overweight is a progressive problem which due to our lifestyle is becoming a real pain in the back! Keeping to a healthy weight is the obvious ideal, and if you do have a back problem and are overweight this could be an area that you could look at however daunting that might be. What ever weight you loose will be a bonus and your back will really appreciate it, so don’t give up trying.
Your spine consists of vertebrae which are bones that sit on top of each other with shock 
absorbers, discs in-between. If you stand sideways they make a long winding “S” with the most pressure going through the lowest curve which is the lumbar region.
The spinal chord runs through the centre with all the nerves branching out. I think of it as a telecommunications network with thousands of wires connecting the brain to all the senses sending and receiving information, and co-ordinating movement.
The shock absorbers or discs are held in place by flexible ligaments and your muscles are attached by tendons to the column. Whilst it is a very comprehensive and complex piece of equipment it is also quite prone to injury if not looked after and I think most of us would probably agree we do take our mobility for granted.
The Spinal Column consist of :-
12-Thoracic- chest
5-Lumbar-lower back
Sacrum – triangular bone fused
Coccyx – tailbone fused
Back pain is one of the main causes of visits to the doctor, and it is one of the main contributors to being absent from work. At some point in your life it is very likely that you will suffer from back pain of one kind or another, the most common of which is muscle strain or ligament strain.
If you can manage your own back pain it will mean that your recovery will be faster and your lifestyle improved.