Buddy, can you spare me some vertebrae?

The problem with years of bad posture, slouching in chairs, failing to bend at the knees and combining that with a lack of exercise and, to be blunt, carrying a few stone in weight that ill-suit me is that, eventually, you pay a price. For me, that price is back trouble and, just at the moment, it would be fair to say that I'm suffering a bit.

On the other hand, it is something that I could do something about. I could sit up straight in my chair, on the sofa and on trains. I could walk more and I could attend a 'back school' (my office are, if nothing else, keen to make sure that I am fit to be enslaved - sorry, work for them). I could lose some weight, take up an exercise regime.

My problems are, not unusually, in the lumbar region. Carrying extra weight means that the lumbar vertebrae are pulled forwards, increasing the pressure on them at the back and sharpening the curve demonstrated in the picture. The problem manifests itself in back spasms and the occasionally sharp jabbing pain, all of which is heightened when I'm tired. It's been a difficult autumn in terms of finding time to rest and recuperate, and I'm counting on December and January for some downtime.

In the meantime, I'm obliged to take a few steps to protect my back. Time to find out about that 'back school', I think...