At one point in their lives almost everyone suffers from a small amount of lower back pain. Often it is caused by lifting a heavy object or repetitive movements such as twisting. These people are lucky enough to take some over the counter pain medication and go on about their day and lives. Other not so lucky people suffer chronically from lower back pain. There are many options, other than over the counter pain medication, to treat it though.

The first thing to consider is if your lower back pain is recently developed try and stay active and perhaps take some non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Motrin, Advil). Do not stay in bed more than a day or so as it can make your joints stiffer and your muscles weaker, which will do nothing to help the pain. Keep in mind that surgery is rarely needed for it even if you have a herniated disc or nerve damage.

Acute lower back pain is pain that has lasted for over three months. Maybe you suffer from the pain daily and maybe you are lucky enough to only have flare ups that happen once in awhile. Some things you can do to try and prolong the time between your flare ups is to not stay in one position for too long. Take short walks and do light exercise, especially stretching exercises daily.

When that pain does act up taking an over the counter pain medication is a good place to start. Try and take them on a regular schedule while you have your flare up. Do not wait for the pain to become to intense as they may not work as well when you take them at that time. Use a heating pad on a low setting or stand in a warm shower for about 20 minutes every few hours. There are single use heat wraps available now that last for longer periods and work quite well. You can also try ice and see if it helps but it does not for most people.

Try as much as possible to keep up with your usual activities. Moving around will actually help your back muscles stay strong; staying in bed will make the problem worse after a few days. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy. Your physical therapist will recommend exercises to make your back muscles stronger through exercises called core stabilization.

Try your best to keep your stomach and back muscle strong, lift properly (bend your knees, keep back straight) and practice good posture (sit and stand up straight).

Another choice you have for you lower back pain is spinal manipulation which can be done by a chiropractor. The goal of this is to increase your range of motion.
If your back pain continues for months and months, you have to learn to try and develop coping skills for living with the chronic pain you have. You may want to consider speaking to a cognitive behavioral therapist who will teach you methods to deal with stress management and pain control skills. Anti depressants are also often used to help treat chronic pain. Corticosteroid injections directly into the back are often helpful for many people also. Massages cannot hurt and often help to relax you, which will help with the back pain too. Acupuncture has been proven to reduce pain and disabilities from lower back trouble.
Of course, if your lower back pain is very severe or gets worse it warrants another visit to the doctor who may prescribe different treatments and stronger pain medication.

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