That trauma may be as easy to remember as a car accident or serious fall, or it could be something more sinister like having bad posture or a poorly set up computer workstation for far too long. The afflictions of the back that can cause poor posture are largely due to repetitive trauma or micro trauma.

These "mini-traumas" are nothing that you would notice if you were only performing the activity once or twice. However, since you perform the offending action thousands upon thousands of times, it can begin to add up. The trauma can lead to such things as degenerative joint disease (DJD), herniated disc, and osteoporosis-related problems like compression fractures.

Degenerative Joint Disease is also known as a "wear and tear" disease. This is usually the result of spinal joints not functioning as well as they should, cause them to simply wear out. DJD may also show up as the result of a more traumatic injury as your body attempts to heal or just bad posture. The visible signs of DJD can be seen on x-ray only after the process has been going on for at least several years.

A herniated disc is usually more painful. The jelly-like substance inside the spinal disc becomes inflamed and begins pushing its way out of the more fibrous outer ring. This can lead to pressure on spinal nerves and lot of associated pain.

Compression fractures related to osteoporosis are also very painful. Once the spine has been pushed out of its normal alignment, it leads to an increase in the amount of pressure and force being put on spinal joints as they resist gravity. Finally, something has to give and the bone begins to collapse on itself. This is called a compression fracture.

The bad news is that once you get one spinal fracture, the increasing stress and body weight will typically lead to more. Prevention is the key, then, to all of these conditions. Since you can't predict or always avoid the traumas of auto accidents or falls, you'll have to try and avoid the repetitive traumas in your daily life.

Dr. Natalie Cordova, a chiropractor and posture expert, wants to help you change your posture for good. Learn to improve posture at http://www.ImproveMyPosture.com