Ouch - My Back! What to Do about Back Pain

Acute Back Pain

Back pain affects 80 percent of adults at some point.

However, most cases of acute back pain don't require a doctor's visit. In fact, regardless of the treatment, about half of the people with back pain find their symptoms mostly go away after two weeks. After six to eight weeks, 80 percent to 90 percent of people report their pain has faded.

The Medical Essay, part of the February issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter, provides a comprehensive look at options to overcome pain and stay active with back pain. The Essay advises taking simple measures first to ease pain and speed healing. They include:

• Stay as active as can be tolerated. Perform as much of your daily routine as possible, even with some pain, but gently. In some cases, you may have to avoid activity for one or two days while severe pain diminishes.

• Use ice for injuries. If your pain was caused by an injury, such as a pulled muscle, you may be able to relieve pain by applying an ice pack to the painful area. Do this for the first day or two after the injury for no more than 20 minutes at a time.

• Use ice or heat, whichever feels best, for pain that lasts more than a couple of days. Continue with ice packs for 20 minutes at a time if it helps. Other people find relief from a warm compress, heating pad or hot bath. Use heat for 20 minutes three times a day.

• Take medications for pain relief. Nonprescription pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may help reduce pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen (Aleve, others), may reduce pain and inflammation.

• Avoid further aggravation. Don't do anything that might have caused your back pain in the first place. Use good posture and limit activities that aggravate your pain, such as prolonged sitting or strenuous lifting, pulling, pushing or twisting.

While most cases of back pain aren't critical, back pain can be a symptom of other problems. See a doctor if you don't feel any improvement in your back pain within a few days.