I have had intermittent crippling back pain on and off for my entire adult life, ever since moving an extremely heavy old stove out of a basement when I was 18 and feeling a bad twinge when the other person carrying it let go of his end.<p>I have been free of back pain for close to three years now, ever since I started exercising regularly, particularly running and cycling. I believe this has to do with several factors: 1) I&#x27;ve lost around 30 kg (70 lbs) of excess weight; 2) I regularly do dynamic stretching (before exercise) and static stretching (afterwards); 3) my posture has improved considerably; and 4) I transitioned to a standing desk about 15 months ago and no longer slouch for hours at a time.