Seven out of ten people are bothered by some form of back pain almost everyday. These aggravations range from mild stiffness to almost paralyzing pain, making it difficult to almost impossible to move. The person who wakes up feeling great one morning, bends down to pick up a shoe and then is unable to straighten up or move is often dumbfounded at their new predicament. After all, they only bent down to pick up a shoe. While that may have been what they did this morning, it is often a series of minor injuries. Overextending oneself while lifting, a childhood injury or even long-term poor posture is the real culprit – not the shoe.

When someone wakes up slightly stiff and has trouble getting started, it is a warning sign that the spine or back may be in trouble. Having small stabbing back pains that quickly go away, allowing you to return to normal after the incident is another warning sign. Having to adapt one’s lifestyle so that less physical activity is one, taking more and more pain killers, using a heating pad or ice pack on a more frequent basis is a sign that something is brewing in the spine that isn’t quite right. While seven out of ten Americans may be bothered by back pain, it isn’t normal.