Did you know that one of the biggest risk factors for low back pain is prior low back pain? It sounds obvious, but this has huge implications for you. It means that preventing a first episode of low back pain decreases your chance of having future episodes. Therefore, you are less likely to have chronic low back problems in your future.
Each of you is in one of these categories:
Group 1. No prior low back pain
Group 2. Prior low back pain
Here is my advice for both groups.
Group 1. Prevent an initial back injury and a first episode of low back pain through good posture, body mechanics/ergonomics, lifting correctly, avoiding bending/twisting and regular exercise. This is urgent for you because if you hurt your back once, you will very likely hurt it again. So prevent it now, before it is too late.
Group 2. See a Physical Therapist if you have frequent episodes of low back pain. Prevent future episodes through good posture, body mechanics/ergonomics, lifting correctly, avoiding bending/twisting and regular exercise. It is harder for you to prevent future back pain than group 1 because you have already injured your spine in the past. But Physical Therapy treatment can be very effective to teach you how to manage and prevent symptoms.
Ref: McKenzie Institute International. Part A. Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy of the Lumbar Spine.
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