5 simple strategies to prevent and ease back pain

Some foods can have anti-inflammatory effects that help ward off back pain.

Back-friendly foods include cherries, olive oil, salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, linseed (flaxseed), walnuts, soy products, nuts, green tea and ginger.

On the other end of the diet spectrum, some foods can contribute to pain: processed foods, sunflower oil, margarine, products containing high-fructose corn syrup and foods high in saturated fat and trans fats.

A lack of vitamin D, the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, may contribute to back pain.

In one study, more than 80 per cent of people between 15 and 52 with chronic low-back pain, were deficient in the vitamin.

Some nutrition experts suggest taking 1000 IU of D3 daily.

Sitting on a fat wallet all day tweaks the spine and can compress a crucial nerve in the buttocks.

That can cause sciatica – inflammation of that nerve.

This problem is so common among men that it has a name: wallet neuropathy.

When back pain strikes, try treating it with a wearable heat wrap rather than ibuprofen or paracetamol.

These pads provide 40°C heat for up to eight hours.

Also, one study published in Spine found they supply more relief than the maximum dose of nonprescription pain relievers – and with longer-lasting effects.

When sitting at your desk, put a footstool or something like a large book under your feet so your knees are slightly higher than your hips, to ease pressure on the lower back.