If you suffer from lower-back pain, you've got company: At any given time, an estimated 31 million Americans are experiencing it, too.

The problem frequently stems from too much sitting, a position that shortens key muscles and tightens your fascia, an overlooked connective tissue that encases and intersects with the muscles.

"This pulls your spine forward and downward, creating compression that causes pain over time," explains New York-based physical therapist Ming Chew, author of "The Permanent Pain Cure." He helped design the following workout to elongate the fascia and stretch those muscles.

For best results, practice these moves most days of the week -- and boost your results by drinking plenty of water. It's another way to keep your fascia supple and back pain at bay.

1. Psoas Stretch
What It Does
Targets the psoas, a muscle that connects the lower spine to the hip; eases sciatica; counteracts the office-worker hunch; creates space and mobility for certain internal organs.

How to Do It
Bend your right leg to 90 degrees, resting your left knee on a mat or pillow. Tilt your torso to the right and place your hands on top of your right knee. Contract your left buttock and your abdominal muscles and imagine that you're dragging your left knee forward (though the knee should not move). Breathe as naturally as you can. Hold for 20 seconds, come out of it to relax for 10 seconds, and then return to the position for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.