4 Tips to Prevent Lower Back Pain

1. Exercise your core. Strong core muscles are important to provide support for your lower back and avoid injury. This doesn’t mean you need to do countless sit ups every day, it just means you try and be active. Low-impact cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking increases blood flow to the spine, which supplies healing nutrients and hydration to the structures in your lower back.

2. Correct your posture. Poor posture places pressure on your back and can cause deteriorated discs to become even more painful. Support the natural curve in your lower spine by using a supportive chair and ergonomic accessories such as the CushionCare memory foam seat cushion. Make sure to get up and walk around at least once an hour if you sit most of the day, and you can also set a timer on your phone to remind yourself to check your posture as your work throughout the day.

3. Lift heavy objects correctly. Even if you're young and strong, you can still injure your lower back if you lift a heavy object incorrectly. Make sure you bend at the knees and hips (not the back), keep your chest forward, and keep the object close to your body.

4. Stretch your hamstrings. A little-known cause of lower back pain is tight hamstrings. Simple hamstring stretching exercises can help decrease the pressure on your pelvis and provide relief across your lower back. There are plenty of hamstring stretch instructional videos on YouTube, but keep in mind that not all hamstring stretching approaches are good for all types of back conditions, so check with your physical therapist or doctor first.