Dr. Cope started her pain management career in anesthesiology. Currently she helps people with back pain. She noted that as humans live longer and are more active, their spinal discs wear out. Back pain is a widespread complaint that can have many different causes. A few mentioned were degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, fractures of the vertebra, cancers/legions, and infectious diseases. When diagnosing degenerative disc disease four main factors are analyzed: anatomy, differentiated diagnosis, function and the patient. Dr. Cope explained that the spine is analogous to a sail mast. The abdominal muscles act as the forestay and the sacrospinal muscle is like the stern stay.  Building and maintaining strong core muscles are key to preserving a healthy spine. Swimming is ideal exercise for your back because you are in the supine position while strengthening muscles.