Arm-across-chest stretch. Raise your right arm to shoulder level in front of you and bend the arm at the elbow, keeping the forearm parallel to the floor.

You should feel a nice stretch across your chest. Keep your back straight and your chest and head up. Bending your forward knee, exhale as you lean your body toward the corner.

Upper-body stretch. Stand facing a corner with your arms raised, hands flat against the walls, elbows at shoulder height.

Slowly draw your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keep your shoulders down and your chin level.

Shoulder blade squeeze. Sit up straight in a chair with your hands resting on your thighs.

Picture yourself as a ballerina or ice skater rather than a soldier at attention. Instead, think of stretching your head toward the ceiling, increasing the space between your rib cage and pelvis. Try to hold your pelvis level - don't allow the lower back to sway - and resist the urge to stand on tiptoe. Now imagine that a strong cord attached to the top of your head is pulling you upward, making you taller.

Imagery. Think of a straight line passing through your body from ceiling to floor (your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should be even and line up vertically).

You can improve your posture - and head off back pain - by practicing some imagery and a few easy exercises. If your posture is good, the bones of the spine - the vertebrae - are correctly aligned. Posture is the way you hold your body while standing, sitting, or performing tasks like lifting, bending, pulling, or reaching. But the surprisingly simple act of paying attention to improving your posture can go a long way.

In addition to improving your posture, general physical fitness and a healthy weight are important are important, too.

One solution to preventing back pain is to improve posture. Repetitive activities at work or home, such as sitting at a computer or lifting and carrying, may produce tension and muscle tightness that result in a backache. But most of the time, upper or lower back pain develops during the course of day-to-day life. It may be due to a sports-related injury, an accident, or a congenital condition such as scoliosis. Most of us get back pain at some point in our lives.

Middle back pain left side