Your back has a story. Read it before you ignore it.

Most back pain is mechanical. That is not the same as harmless.

A lot of low-back pain starts with how you sit, lift, and recover. Desk hours, car commutes, and a weekend of yard work are ordinary St. Louis reasons a back seizes up.

Mechanical does not mean 'wait it out forever.' If the pain is new after a crash, if it shoots into a leg, or if you cannot stand through a shift, you want a licensed clinician to look at you.

This bulletin stays practical. We will not invent a miracle stretch. We will tell you when the next useful move is an exam at a local injury clinic.

Open this bulletin, then pick up the phone, if

• The pain started after a wreck, a fall, or a hard landing.
• Sitting or standing for a normal workday has become the problem.
• Pain travels below the knee, or a foot feels weak or numb.
• You already tried rest and heat and the week did not get better.