Each year, nearly five million working days are lost as a result of back pain.

It’s the number two reason for long-term sickness in much of the UK and the number one reason in manual labour jobs. It’s estimated this costs employers in excess of £600 million per year, and the cost to the NHS on top of this is estimated to top £1 billion. An estimated 80 per cent of adults will experience back pain at some point in their life.

Wow! Those figures are certainly quite astonishing. Most of you reading this have, or are going to, suffer from back pain at some point. For many people, it may well be an isolated incident, but for some it is chronic and recurring. I am increasingly seeing people in my clinics who complain they’ve had the problem for many years. Quite often it’s possible to completely rid them of this pain, or at least manage it so it doesn’t affect their lifestyle too much. Anyone who has suffered from chronic pain – chronic meaning lasting longer than three months – will tell you how debilitating it can be. It affects your daily activity, your mood, relationships and work.

So is there anything you can do to help yourself? In my experience, the answer is ‘yes’.

Firstly, be active! I said it last time; we are generally inactive as a society. Bed rest, as would be prescribed some years ago, tends to make the pain worse. Physical exercise has been shown to be a very effective way to reduce the pain and discomfort long-term sufferers experience. Being active will also help keep your weight down. Carrying excess weight is a regular factor in the back pain cases I see, and all the research supports this.

Certain types of exercise are better in the first instance. Swimming is great as it is non weight-bearing. Walking at a moderate pace is a superb entry level form of exercise, and by walking I mean more than a stroll to the corner shop. Pilates and yoga develop core muscles – these are the muscles that help support the back, and research shows improving their effectiveness can reduce the incidence of back pain.

The absolute worst thing you can do in nothing. Seek professional advice, if necessary – either your GP, a physio or an exercise professional who specialises in such conditions.

Take care of your back. A cliché, I know, but you only get one.