I have lifted weights for most of my life. I always try to use proper form in all my lifts. I consider this very important because there was one time when I did not. About 20 years ago I worked out in the mornings with a coworker. On one particular morning we were working legs.

We had not done deadlifts before. I had read up on them and thought I knew how to do them. Unfortunately, I had too much weight on the bar for my first attempt. Even though I was in fairly good shape, the combination of too much weight and unfamiliarity with the exercise was a bad combination. Halfway up I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my back. I tried to finish the lift but it was all I could do to lower it to the platform. To make matters worse, my friend easily deadlifted it right after me.

I knew I had done something to my back. I gritted my teeth and finished a very light workout. I made it home, took a shower, and realized that I could not move very well. I collapsed in bed, face down, and stayed that way for the rest of the day.

After missing a few days of work and staying immobile in bed, my back slowly healed. But, the damage had been done.

Six years later I was moving some furniture around. Suddenly I felt this twinge in my back. The pain was so great that I could not straighten up. I was fine if I walked around bent at the waist, like the apes from the movie Planet of the Apes. If I tried to stand straight, the pain was excruciating.

This time I went to see a doctor. I had an MRI. He found two bulging disks (herniated discs) in my lumbar region. He gave me some pills for the pain and told me to lie down for a few days. Thanks, doc.

After that episode, almost like clockwork my back would go out every year in the fall. Always the pain was excruciating. One time it felt like someone stabbed me with a knife in my kidney. The doctor thought I had a kidney stone. Finally, after seeing another doctor and having another MRI, I was diagnosed as having back pain from my bulging discs. Thanks, again, doc.

About 7 years ago someone referred me to Treat Your Own Back. The book is written by Robin McKenzie, a New Zealand doctor. He discovered the reason many people have recurring back pain. And, more importantly to me, he discovered procedures for resolving that back pain and preventing its recurrence. Following the instructions in the book, my pain quickly subsided. After the pain was gone, I promptly forgot the book and its exercises.

Like clockwork, my back flared up a year later. Eventually I remembered the book. This time, I thought I would take it to the next level. Dr. McKenzie's methods have evolved to a method of treatment offered by McKenzie Clinics throughout the world.  I was fortunate and found a McKenzie Clinic near me. There, the therapist used the McKenzie Method to treat my back.

Going to the clinic allowed me to quiz the therapist about the book and how I could best avoid having to come back in a year. The book describes simple exercises for treating back pain. Those same exercises, when done regularly, strengthen the core and prevent recurrence of back pain.

Thinking ahead this time, I decided to do the exercises every day. I attribute the last six years of no back pain to doing those exercises.

The book describes several simple exercises that can be done to keep the back healthy and pain free. The first exercise is to lie on your abdomen with arms at your side. This is done for about a minute. The second exercise is similar to the Cobra pose in Yoga. With the pelvis flat on the floor, the chest is raised and supported by the arms resting with elbows on the floor. This position is held for about a minute. The third exercise is a combination of the second exercise and pushups. Keeping the pelvis flat on the floor, the arms are used to push up the upper body with the back flexing.

When I wake in the morning I take an extra minute or two in bed to do the first two exercises. I am already lying down, so no extra effort is required. I am not lazy, I just like to conserve my strength.

I do not do these exercises faithfully every day. But, I do them more often than not. I am very aware of my back and how it feels. If I sense a twinge in my back I will do the third exercise. If I know I am going to be exerting myself, I will do the exercises before and after.

I have not had any back pain in the past 6 years thanks to this book. I cannot recommend it enough.

Robin McKenzie has another book, Treat Your Own Neck, that has simple exercises for those with neck pain. Fortunately, I don't have neck problems. For those that suffer both, McKenzie has a combined book: 7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life: How to Rapidly Relieve Back and Neck Pain that some may find useful. I've bought several of these books and given them to friends and relatives.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with the McKenzie Clinics. The book links above will take you to Amazon, where, if you buy the book I will make six cents or some tiny amount for each book sold. The book Treat Your Own Back by Robin A. McKenzie is a fantastic help for those who suffer from back pain and I cannot recommend it enough.