This online newsletter on occupational safety and health quotes Dr. Steve Geiringer of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in an article about back injuries. He points out that the lumbar spine has a challenging task in supporting a person's entire body weight from the waist up. And a protuberant belly puts one at greater risk for back injuries. "The bigger the belly, the more weight the lumbar spine is going to have to support and the farther out (the weight) is," he explained.