Low back pain is a very common problem among working Americans and this is due to many factors such as poor posture, poor body mechanics, poor lifestyle, poor diet, and many more. Although some people with degenerative disorders such as arthritis, osteoporosis, lumbar disk disease, osteopenia, etc are more prone to low back pain, it is not uncommon for people who are not suffering from those degenerative disorders to suffer from low back pain as well.

There are things you can do to avoid back pain and have a healthy and pain-free back.

1. Watch what you eat

Excess weight can actually hurt your back because of the changes in the normal curvature of your spine when there is too much weight for your back to carry. As a matter of fact, it is not just your back that is the victim here but also your knees as well. One most common complaint of overweight people is knee problem because of the weight their knees carry on a daily basis. Avoid fried, greasy foods but instead choose fresh, natural and calcium-rich foods instead.

2. Stay Active

In this age of remote controls, high tech gadgets, and lazy boy, more and more people are becoming what everyone calls a "couch potato". What they don't know is that staying in one spot for long periods of time can affect not only their back but their overall health as well. This is because without an activity, your blood is not circulating as it should; as a result, their blood is unable to carry all the necessary nutrients in the muscles and organs of their body. Engage in a physical activity, join a gym or hire a personal fitness trainer to teach you a fitness program designed to strengthen your back muscles and improve your posture.

3. Maintain Proper Body Mechanics

It is very common in a work environment to have an incidence of low back pain or injury especially those people whose work involves lifting a heavy object, constant bending or repetitive motion, carrying an object all day, or transferring a patient who are not able to move on their own such as nurse's aide, factory workers, construction workers, or distribution centers. Make sure you bend your knees when lifting a heavy object from a low surface, pull instead of push a cart with heavy items on it, and use a grabber to pick something off the floor if you are not able to bend your knees.

4. You can still hurt your back while sleeping

You spend about an average of 6-8 hours in bed at night so improper use of pillows or poor body positioning can hurt your back the next day. Ever wake up with a stiff neck or aching back? Use a firm pillow and don't sleep on your stomach. Avoid sleeping on a water bed or an ultra soft mattress no matter how tempting it looks. Sleep in a side-lying position and use a pillow in between your knees instead.