We use our backs for almost every single thing we do, including standing, walking, stretching, lifting and even lying down. Because of this, it should come as no surprise then that our backs are highly susceptible to pain and injury. And if we are overweight, we put an even greater burden on our backs. So, the single most important thing we can do to help reduce or eliminate back pain in the long term, is to lose weight, if we are overweight.

In fact, 80% of people suffer from some sort of back pain at some stage of their life. Most back pain occurs in the lower back. This makes sense because the lower back bears most of a person's weight.

Being overweight affects our backs negatively in several ways. Back muscles are tensed up with the effort of supporting a sagging belly. Lose weight and your muscles are able to relax and hold in your stomach without straining. Add some exercise to strengthen the core muscles and further protect your back.

To feel what your back is feeling, load up a grocery bag and hold it in both arms in front of you. Do you feel that extra little bit of tension in your lower back? Being overweight creates that reaction in your back muscles constantly, although you are probably unaware of it because you are used to the feeling. It's like always wearing a watch on your left wrist. It gets to the point where you don't even feel your watch any longer. Switch that watch to your right wrist and you know you are wearing a watch.

Being overweight also causes spinal misalignment. Watch a heavyset person walk and you can see by the way they carry themselves that they are compensating for the excess weight they are carrying.

When your spine is out of alignment, extra stress is created on the spinal disks. Over time, this can result in a herniated disk, a very painful condition. With a herniated disk, back muscles contract painfully. Simply put, to alleviate the pain of a herniated disk, it is necessary to relax the back muscles, and allow the disk to return to its normal condition. When you are overweight it is more difficult for those muscles to relax because they are under tension supporting extra weight.

Although there are many reasons for back pain there are unfortunately, no magic cures. But losing weight will certainly help to reduce or eliminate back pain in many instances.