听力原文：ANNOUNCER: Today's Health Counsel is presented by Paula Clayburg, who is the chie

Counsellor at Liverpool's famous pain clinic: The Wilton Clinic. Paula...

PAULA CLAYBURG: Do you know what Prince Charles, Seve Ballesteros and Elizabeth

Taylor have in common？ They all suffer from chronic back pain. In fact,

bad backs are one of the most common health problems today,

affecting people in all walks of life. The most recent available figures

show that about a quarter of a million people are incapacitated with 【Q31】

back pain every day.

And many sufferers don't know the cause or the solution to their

problem.

The majority of our patients at the clinic tend to be women. They are

especially vulnerable because of pregnancy but also because of

osteoporosis, which I personally believe to be the major cause of

problems for women. I have many women patients who say they have 【Q32】

completely given up exercise because the pain makes them so miserable.

But of course that starts up a vicious circle. Bed rest, giving up exercise

and pain killers are traditional responses to back pain but, although

there are many excellent drugs on the market, at our clinic we are

beginning to realise the unique benefits of relaxation therapy. Other 【Q33】

specialists in the field make a strong case for certain types of exercise,

but in our experience they are easily mishandled and can lead to more

harm than good.

Now, let's look at some of the reasons why back pain is developing

into such a unique menace. In general, the body is pretty good at self-

repair. A strain or a blow to a limb, though painful at the time,

generally resolves itself. But the body's response to back injury can be

very counter-productive. When pain strikes, we attempt to keep the 【Q34】

back as immobile as possible, which makes the muscles tense up.

Research shows that they often go into spasm, which causes further

twisting of the spine. A vicious circle is underway.

The second mistake we often make when stricken with extreme back

pain is to go to bed and stay there. Although at the clinic we recognise

that a short rest in bed can be helpful.., up to two days.., any longer 【Q35】

makes our back muscles become weaker and unable to hold up our

spine. The pain therefore becomes worse.

Another problem is being overweight. Anyone a stone or more over- 【Q36】

weight who already has back pain is not doing himself any favours:

though it won't actually set it off in the first place, the weight will

increase the strain and make things worse. The British diet could be

partially to blame for the increase in back pain: over the last ten years the

average weight of men has risen by 11 lbs and of women by 9 lbs. So much

for the causes and aggravations of pain. But what can WE do to help？

There are many ways in which simple day-to-day care can make all

the difference. The first point to watch of course is weight. If you are

overweight, a diet will make all the difference.

Also, studies have shown that just one hour sitting in a slouched

position can strain ligaments in the back which can take months to heal.

At the clinic we have come to the conclusion that the major cause of the

problem is not with the design of chairs, as some have suggested, but

in the way WE sit in them. It can be useful to get special orthopaedic 【Q37】

chairs, but remember the most important improvement should be in

OUR posture.

Another enemy of your back is, of course, your beds. If your bed

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