Lower back pain is one the most distressing and common ailments afflicting people today. It's a miserable condition that can really cramp your style. It drains your energy and saps your mood to do the things you love leaving you depressed and irritable.

So why do so many people suffer from pain in the lower part of the back - the lumbar region.

The fact is that the causes of lower back pain are many. For many it's the result of an injury or trauma. Perhaps an old high school football injury from decades ago coming back to haunt you. Or it could be a simple back sprain from lifting something with the wrong posture.

Other causes include disc problems and such acute factors as a pinched nerve and degenerative conditions as arthritis. For these, professional medical advice is essential.

But the most common cause of lumbar back pain is a result of today's sedentary lifestyles. It's simply that of sitting for extended periods.

Whether it's sitting to eat, watch television, in cars and other transport,and in our offices, most of us spend the greater part of our day on our backsides.

The trouble is that the human body was designed for hunter-gatherers who spent a lot of time erect and in motion, or otherwise lying down for sleep. The human race was never really designed for sitting down.

To sit in a way that doesn't cause strain to the lower back requires adopting a certain sitting position and ensuring adequate support for the lumbar area.

The sad fact is that many people succumb to lower back pain from sitting incorrectly. The problem is compounded by the fact that most chairs are not really designed to provide support to the lower back.

So what's the answer?

To prevent or relieve lower back pain requires either a special chair that provides the right support or to use a lumbar pillow that you put between the small of your back and an ordinary chair. This back pillow then works to support your lumbar region.

An effective lumbar pillow needs certain characteristics. It must be the right size and thickness and it must contain the right type of stuffing. Lumbar pillows must be filled with a material firm enough to offer enough support and soft enough to be comfortable.

Popular choices for this stuffing materials are various types of foam and organic materials such as buckwheat hulls and rice.

Lumbar pillows are cheap, portable and convenient. You can take them anywhere and they provide that much need support your back need to stay pain-free.