Back Pain

Dr. Richard Besser, M.D., is ABC News' Chief Health and Medical Editor. In this role he provides medical analysis and reports for all ABC News programs and platforms, including "World News Tonight," "Good Morning America," “20/20,” "Nightline," ABC News Radio and “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” His weekly health twitter chat #abcDrBchat and frequent Facebook chats reach millions.

Since joining ABC News in 2009, Dr. Besser has traveled all over the U.S. and the globe to cover major medical news stories. A pediatrician and infectious disease specialist, he walked the Ebola wards in Liberia on two trips in 2014, reporting from the center of the deadly epidemic, and continued to provide extensive coverage for months as cases were seen the United States. In 2012 Dr. Besser was the only journalist to be embedded with a team from the Center for Disease Control in Uganda, delivering a series of exclusive reports titled “Inside the Hot Zone: The Ebola Outbreak.” In 2011 Dr. Besser led ABC's global health coverage, "Be the Change: Save a Life," reporting on health issues vital to emerging nations from seven different countries.

Dr. Besser came to ABC News from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he served as director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response. In that role he was responsible for all of the CDC's public health emergency preparedness and emergency response activities. He also served as acting director for the CDC from January to June 2009, during which time he led the CDC's response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Dr. Besser began his career at the CDC in 1991 in the Epidemic Intelligence Service working on the epidemiology of food-borne diseases. He served for five years on the faculty of the University of California, San Diego as the pediatric residency director, while working for the county health department on the control of pediatric tuberculosis. He returned to CDC in 1998 as an infectious disease epidemiologist working on pneumonia, antibiotic resistance and the control of antibiotic overuse.

Dr. Besser volunteers as a pediatrician with the Children's Aid Society in New York City. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.

How to Avoid Back Pain

-maintain healthy weight
-stay active…core strength & stretch (he will demo)
-reduce stress
-Proper posture (Dr. will demonstrate sitting & standing…Kelly’s high heels?
-Lift with the knees (demo)
-lighten up your backpack, purse, briefcase
-don’t smoke


If you do have Back Pain

-talk to your doctor (if certain signs present)
-Is Rest Best?
-Ice it? Anti-Inflammatories? Pain Meds?
-Follow daily activity level unless too painful


Proper standing posture:

When standing, keep these tips in mind:
· Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
· Pull in your abdomen.
· Keep your feet about hip distance apart.
· Balance your weight evenly on both feet.
· Let your hands hang naturally at your sides.
Try not to tilt your head forward, backward or sideways, and make sure your knees are relaxed — not locked.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void in Quebec and where prohibited. Open to permanent legal residents of the 50 states of the U.S., D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are 18 years of age or older as of the date of entry. Starts at 9:00 am ET on 1/12/2015. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm ET on 1/25/2015. Prize restrictions apply. For details/Official Rules visit CLICK HERE

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void in Quebec and where prohibited. Open to permanent legal residents of the 50 states of the U.S., D.C., and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are 18 years of age or older as of the date of entry. Starts at 9:00 am ET on 1/12/2015. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm ET on 1/25/2015. Prize restrictions apply. For details/Official Rules visit CLICK HERE

If a participant opts to enter from Facebook, he/she must understand that the Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Facebook and Facebook is completely released of all liability by each participant in this Contest. Sponsor has no affiliation with Facebook and no responsibility for or control of any matters relating to Facebook or Facebook accounts. Each participant understands he/she is providing his/her information to the Sponsor and not to Facebook.