Back pain - Treatments
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Back pain can make you feel miserable, but it usually gets better on its own. And there are a range of treatments that can help relieve the pain and keep you moving. Your doctor may offer you a combination of these treatments.
We've divided the treatments into those for back pain that lasts for 12 weeks or less (acute or short-term back pain) and pain that goes on for longer than 12 weeks (chronic or long-term back pain).
Key points about treating short-term back pain
- Staying in bed doesn't help if you have back pain. It won't make you any better, and could be harmful. Stay as active as you can.
- Drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen) can relieve back pain. But they can have side effects.
- Having your spine moved by a trained therapist can also work. This is called spinal manipulation. It may help you get back to work. A talking treatment called behaviour therapy may help your back pain.
- There are lots of other treatments that haven't been properly tested. So we don't know if they work. They include acupuncture, back supports, steroid injections, massage, ice packs and TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation).
Treatments for short-term back pain
Which treatments work best? We've carefully weighed up the research and divided the treatments into categories.
You can find out more about each treatment by clicking on the links below.
For help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see .
Treatments that work
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): This is a group of drugs that reduce pain and inflammation. One of the most common is ibuprofen. More...
- Staying active: Your doctor may advise you to stay active to reduce your pain and speed up your recovery. More...
Treatments that are likely to work
- Multidisciplinary treatment programmes: These programmes are run by a team of professionals, including doctors, psychologists and physiotherapists. More...
- Painkillers: These include over-the-counter treatments such as paracetamol, as well as stronger painkillers you can only get on prescription. More...
- Spinal manipulation: This is where a trained therapist moves the joints in your back. More...
Treatments that work, but whose harms may outweigh benefits
- Muscle relaxants: These are drugs that can help with muscle spasms (when your muscles tighten on their own). They are a type of sedative. Doctors commonly prescribe one called diazepam. More...
Treatments that need further study
- Acupuncture: This is when thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific points in the body. It is believed to unblock energy. More...
- Back schools: These schools offer a series of classes where you learn how your back works and what can go wrong with it. More...
- Behaviour therapy: This involves learning how to change your behaviour and thinking to help you cope with the pain. More...
- Biofeedback: This treatment helps you learn to keep your muscles relaxed. More...
- Epidural steroid injections: Steroids are drugs that are injected into the base of your spine to reduce inflammation. More...
- Back supports: These are corsets, support belts, back braces and jackets worn to support your back. More...
- Massage: A therapist kneads, strokes and manipulates the soft parts of your lower back, including your muscles. More...
- Temperature treatments: These treatments include massage, ice, heat and ultrasound. More...
- Traction: This treatment stretches your spine. A therapist does it by hand or using weights. More...
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): You wear a small battery-operated device (TENS unit) around your waist. It sends out small pulses of electricity to help relieve pain. More...
Treatments that are unlikely to work
- Exercise, including back exercises: This is a programme of exercises to strengthen your back, keep you flexible and increase your fitness. More...
Key points about treating long-term back pain
- Exercise programmes can help chronic back pain and let you move about more.
- A multidisciplinary treatment programme may reduce your pain. You get help from doctors, psychologists, therapists and social workers.
- Painkillers such as ibuprofen, paracetamol and stronger drugs such as codeine, can help relieve back pain. But some of these drugs may cause side effects.
- A form of psychotherapy called behaviour therapy may be useful. You might want to try this if other treatments don't help.
- Having acupuncture or spinal manipulation (when your spine is moved by a trained therapist may help.
Treatments for long-term back pain
Which treatments work best? We've carefully weighed up the research and divided the treatments into categories.
You can find out more about each treatment by clicking on the links below.
For help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see .
Treatments that work
- Multidisciplinary treatment programmes: These are run by a team of professionals, including doctors, psychologists, and physiotherapists. More...
- Exercise, including back exercises: This is a programme of exercises designed to strengthen your back, keep you flexible and increase your general fitness. More...
Treatments that are likely to work
- Antidepressants: These drugs relieve depression and may also help with pain. Doctors often use a type of antidepressant called a tricyclic antidepressant for bad back pain. Examples of these are imipramine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline and doxepin. More...
- Painkillers: These include over-the-counter treatments such as paracetamol, as well as stronger painkillers you can only get on prescription. More...
- Back schools: These schools offer a series of classes where you learn how your back works and what can go wrong with it. More...
- Behaviour therapy: This involves learning how to change your behaviour and thoughts about your pain to help you to cope with it. More...
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): These drugs reduce pain and inflammation. The most common one is ibuprofen. More...
- Spinal manipulation: A trained therapist moves your joints. More...
- Acupuncture: This is when thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific points in the body. It is believed to unblock energy. More...
Treatments that need further study
- Back supports: These are corsets, support belts, back braces and jackets worn to support your back. More...
- Biofeedback: This treatment helps you learn to keep your muscles relaxed. More...
- Epidural steroid injections: Steroids are injected into the base of your spine to reduce inflammation. More...
- Injections into ligaments or trigger points: These are injections into the muscles or ligaments near tender points in your lower back. More...
- Massage: A therapist kneads, strokes and manipulates the soft parts of your lower back including the muscles. More...
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS): A small battery-operated device (TENS unit) is worn around your waist and delivers continuous pulses of electricity to help relieve pain. More...
- Traction: This treatment stretches your spine. A therapist does it by hand or uses weights. More...
Treatments that work, but whose harms may outweigh benefits
- Muscle relaxants: These are sedative-type drugs used to relieve muscle spasms. More...
Treatments that are likely to be ineffective or harmful
- Facet joint injections: Local anaesthetics or steroid drugs are injected into or near the joints linking together the small bones that make up your spine. More...
Glossary
- NSAIDs
- NSAID stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. NSAIDs help with pain, inflammation and fever. They are called 'nonsteroidal' because they don't contain any steroids. Aspirin and ibuprofen are both NSAIDs.
- inflammation
- Inflammation is when your skin or some other part of your body becomes red, swollen, hot and sore. Inflammation happens because your body is trying to protect you from germs, from something that's in your body and could harm you (like a splinter) or from things that cause allergies (these things are called allergens). Inflammation is one of the ways in which your body heals an infection or an injury.
- acupuncture
- If you have acupuncture, an acupuncturist puts thin, sterile needles into your skin. People who perform traditional acupuncture believe that it removes blockages along energy channels in your body. Other acupuncturists say that the needles help your body release natural chemicals that block pain.
- steroids
- Steroids are a type of chemical. Your body naturally produces steroids, which play a part in many of its processes. For example, steroids are involved in how your immune system, reproductive system and metabolism work. Steroids can also be given as medicines and are used for a number of different conditions: including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and eczema. Corticosteroids are not the same as the steroids used by some body builders and athletes. Those steroids are called 'anabolic steroids'.
- psychologist
- A psychologist is trained to study the human mind and human behaviour. A clinical psychologist provides mental health care in hospitals, clinics, schools or to private patients.
- physiotherapist
- A physiotherapist is a health professional who is trained to use physical activity and exercises to help people's bodies heal.
- sedation
- The word 'sedate' means calm and relaxed. In medicine, sedation means using a medicine to calm someone down: for example, before an operation.
- anaesthetic
- An anaesthetic is a chemical that blocks the ability to feel sensations like pain or heat. A local anaesthetic blocks the feeling in a specific area of the body. For example, your dentist uses a local anaesthetic like lignocaine in your gums so that you don't feel the pain of having a cavity filled. A general anaesthetic makes you completely unconscious and is usually used only in a carefully controlled environment like an operating room.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
