Senior Health Connection newsletter Intermountain Hospital Center March 2008 Managing Low Back Pain More than 80 Practice good percent of people will develop back pain sometime in their lives. Back pain is hard to pinpoint, but most low back pain is probably caused by a muscle strain -usually doing work you're not used to doing. Here are some ways to pre-vent lower back pain: body mechanics Get regular exercise Manage your weight Avoid activities that require heavy lifting or trunk twisting Reduce stress Don't smoke If you experience back pain try one or more of the following suggestions: keep moving, find a comfortable position, or try a simple over-the-counter pain medication. Call your doctor if you have sudden severe pain, pain that gets worse over the weeks, numbness, fever, difficulty urinating or loss of bowel control Exercise for Older Adults: Strength Building Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room. With a 5 pound potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute and then relax. Each day you'll find you can hold this position a little longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to a 10 pound sack, then try 50 pound. Eventually you'll get to 100 pound sacks in each hand. After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks____ 37