Your lower back is a remarkable machine, reliably carrying out a
critical and all-but-invisible support role in a host of daily
activities, including sitting, standing, walking and lifting.
But like any machine, your lower back can malfunction. Indeed,
most adults will suffer low back pain at some point in their
lives. It's not entirely clear why the lower back is so prone to
trouble, but it probably relates to the remarkable stresses
placed on it over a lifetime. Although low back pain is common,
each person's experience is as individual as he or she is. For
example, low back pain can appear suddenly or gradually and can
be severe and debilitating or merely annoying. It may feel like
a dull ache or a sharp, stabbing pain. Low back pain can seem
focused in a single spot, or it can spread throughout the back
and even down the legs. And it can quickly get better completely
on its own, or it may stubbornly resist treatment and persist
for years. This diversity occurs, at least in part, because low
back pain is n