Most people can expect to experience back pain at some point in their lives.
Student physical therapist Amy Stevens of Duquesne University works with Roberta Rock of Spring Hill on an exercise to strengthen the abdominal and quadricept muscles at the Allegheny General Back Institute this spring. The back is the central link of a kinetic chain that includes the head, jaw, neck, upper back, shoulders, arms and legs. Lack of regular exercise makes back muscles particularly susceptible to sudden overuse, poor posture and other kinds of stress, Moffat and Vickery say. The joints stiffen, ligaments and muscles may contract, blood flow is inhibited. Inactivity also makes the back more susceptible to general joint deterioration.