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Prevent pain You don't have back pain...yet. Want to keep it that way? Try these techniques to prevent the pain long before it begins. Sit pretty You don�t need a fancy ergonomically designed office chair, but you should have one that provides good support so that your back is curved like an S, not a C, says Jeffrey Goldstein, MD, director of the spine service at the New York University Langone Medical Center. Every half hour, get up and walk around for a few seconds to take some of the stress off your back. Stand tall Imagine a line coming down through your body from the ceiling, says physical therapist Ren�e Garrison. Your ears, shoulders, hips, and knees should all stack up along that line, with your head stacked directly atop your neck, not jutting forward. Don�t smoke A 2010 review of 40 studies found that smokers have more low back pain than nonsmokers, possibly because smoking reduces blood flow to the spine, says Dr. Rao. Learn how to lift You know to hoist heavy objects using your legs, not your back. But what about a very light object? Answer: Lean over it, slightly bend one knee, and extend the other leg behind you. Hold onto a chair or table for support.