Lower Back Pain is by far one of the most common types of back pain. Various studies estimate that 50 - 80% of people experience lower back pain at some point during their life. But there are different ideas and theories about back pain and different definitions. Take a moment to become informed before you make any decisions about your treatment options.

Acute Lower Back Pain

Thankfully, for most people the pain episodes are "acute." Meaning the episodes last only for several hours or days and then go away. As you might imagine, aspirin and other over-the-counter medications do tend to alleviate back pain symptoms. However, research has shown that the common notion of "getting bed rest" or staying in bed to get rid of back pain is actually counter-productive. In many cases, bed rest makes back pain symptoms worse.

Chronic Lower Back Pain

Lower back back pain that lasts for more than 3 months is considered "chronic." Doctors often have a difficult time of diagnosing the exact cause of lower back pain. This "lack of probable cause" can be a problem.

Why? Because you might find several health practitioners offering different "cures" based on their own reasoning and specialty. The best advice, is to begin with treatments that are minimally invasive.

Get multiple opinions and consider putting off surgery or other invasive techniques until you have seen if other treatment options can help you. Surgery is rarely needed for low back pain. If your doctor recommends surgery, make sure that you get a second opinion and ask your him or her to recommend at least one non-surgical and non-drug treatment.

Consider taking a minute to consider potential causes of your lower back pain, before your read information about it's remedy. Many research reviews funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other organizations have noted that education about back pain is a major factoring in alleviating it: Lower Back Pain Causes.