We ourselves are essentially responsible for our back troubles. Most of us don't get the proper physical conditioning to benefit our spines.

We exercise haphazardly and without warming up properly. We gain too much weight, ride rather than walk, sprawl on soft sofas and chairs, develop pot bellies and sway backs and subject our backs to unnecessary twists and turns by lifting and carrying things improperly. If we learned to treat our backs smartly, we could help beat the odds on backaches.

The day by day pressures and stress, especially on our lower backs, is tremendous. Just standing exerts 100 pounds of pressure per square inch on the lower spine. Sitting puts 120 pounds of pressure on this area. When you bend forward while standing you cause 164 pounds of pressure, while coughing produces greater pressure than that in the cylinder of a small engine.

Granted, our routine daily living keeps us from avoiding the many pressures on our backs. But applying the following basic rules for body balance can help.

• Try to maintain the natural gentle contours of your spine, no matter what you're doing.
• When bending or lifting, always flex your knees.
• Avoid off-balance torso-twisting.

Back trouble may come from any number of causes, but our most effective protection against backaches is already built into our bodies - the muscles that hold us erect and aligned.

Proper exercise can help keep those muscles in tip top shape, and if we can remember to use our backs smartly, we can help alleviate and possibly avoid those nagging backaches. As a preventive measure against backaches and all health disorders have regular chiropractic examinations.

To enjoy life more, and to the fullest,
 Sit tall, stand tall and walk tall.

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