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L ike many Americans, my workday consists of sitting at a desk, back hunched over my laptop, head craned to one side in the style of the 'bent-neck lady' from "The Haunting at Hill House." Almost never does my back become flush with my overpriced ergonomic chair. Whatever the opposite of being in alignment is, I am that and my body feels it.ot alone. Over the course of a lifetime, 60 to 70 percent of us will experience low back pain and about half of us will have significant neck pain. In fact, back and neck pain are two of the top five reasons people go to the doctor. And I'm not alone. Over the course of a lifetime, 60 to 70 percent of us will experience low back pain and about half of us will have significant neck pain. In fact, back and neck pain are two of the top five reasons people go to the doctor. "Sometimes I think we don't realize how important our spine is to our overall health," Jay Reidler, MD, MPH, an adult and pediatric orthopedic spine surgeon at Englewood Health and Metropolitan Neurosurgery Associates in Englewood, said. The spine is the channel through which our spinal cord flows. It protects the cord so that it can deliver nerves that are critical to the function of our arms, legs, and the rest of our bodies. The spine also supports our body weight and functions as the conduit between the upper body and lower body. "In contrast to the thigh and leg—which are also carrying weight but are made of a few long and stiff bones—the spine is composed of many small bones and discs tasked with supporting weight while also providing flexibility and motion," Dr. Reidler said. of us will experience low back pain over the course of a lifetime 60-70%

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