Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics - Medical Information Preventing back pain For many people, the key to a healthy back is found in good posture, proper exercise, safe lifting techniques, and a firm mattress. Poor posture puts a great deal of strain on the muscles and ligaments in your back, and this is the primary cause of back pain. Many people with poor posture are able to benefit from exercises that strengthen the back muscles, enabling them to withstand the added strain.
Stomach exercises work in much the same way.
If your stomach muscles are strong, they're able to reduce the amount of stress put on your spine by providing extra support to your back. For most people, a 30-minute aerobic conditioning program three times a week coupled with walking or water exercise is a good way to strengthen back and stomach muscles. Since lifting is one of the main contributors to back pain, it's important that you do so correctly. When lifting a heavy object, you should remember to keep you back straight and bend at the knees and hips. This relieves much of the load on your spine, and greatly reduces your risk of injury.