Traditionally, rest and painkillers are prescribed for back pain. The popular solution had been to go to bed until it goes away. But this is the wrong way! The medical experts now say that the best path to recovery is the one that keeps you moving.

A physiotherapist may use mobilization techniques backed by ultrasound, laser, or heat treatment. If the problem is severe and there is no improvement after several weeks, X rays and possibly an MRI scan may be suggested. Treatment can include anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxant drugs, traction, a collar or surgical corset, painkilling epidural anesthetic injections, antidepressants, TENS or, in the case of a prolapsed disk, surgery.

Surgery

Back surgery is generally considered when pain is unremitting or getting worse. Surgery always entails a degree of risk; there is always the chance of permanent damage and impaired mobility. According to U.S. government data, only 1 percent of those who suffer from back pain appear to benefit from surgery.

About 250,000 Americans have disk surgery for sciatica each year, while another quarter-million instead choose physical therapy, painkillers or rest until they feel better.

Back surgery to repair herniated disks showed no clear-cut advantage over other treatments or simply waiting, according to 2 large government-funded studies. Though neither strategy offered complete relief, the level of pain and physical function of the patients suffering from sciatica improved after 2 years whether or not they had the surgery. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are the first from a big government-funded research project on spine surgery.