Taking two aspirin and calling the doctor in the morning may be one of the most joked about statements attributed to physicians, but that advice may actually be good advice when it comes to back pain treatment. While many believe that heat and ice will help them get rid of back pain, there has been no real scientific justification for its use, however it has also shown to not cause any additional problems.

For pain and stiffness, recommended home back pain treatment usually involves taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen and getting plenty of bed rest, at least until the pain starts to go away. However, too much bed rest may cause the muscles to become more stiff and cause movement to be slower than necessary. A person's individual pain threshold will also play a role in how soon they can get out of bed and return to normal activities.

Additionally, most experts agree that the longer a person rests in bed, the longer their recovery period will be. Determining what triggered the back pain will help prevent it from occurring. Once it does start, however, home back pain treatment may simply come from over the counter pain relievers and bed rest. For some, placing a pillow between the knees when lying down may help align their spine, relieving some of the pressure on lower back muscles.

Before Treating, Be Sure Pain Is Muscular

There are several possibilities for having back pain and before any back pain treatment is begun, the source of the pain should be established. In most cases, back pain is a symptom of another type of disorder and if there is some other medical problem, the pain may be felt in the back, called referred pain. Ailments such as appendicitis, kidney infections and bladder infections can cause the pain to be referred to the back.

When suffering acute back pain, typically complaining of the symptoms for less than one month, the doctor may prescribe pain medications or muscle relaxers provided there are no other obvious symptoms of another disorder. When a person suffers from chronic back pain, the doctor may order other tests to rule out internal problems before beginning back pain treatment that may mask the underlying condition.

Discomfort caused by an injury may take long term back pain treatment methods, but most of the time the treatment will not begin until the initial discomfort has ended. A pulled back muscle for example, may delay any back pain treatment for up to three months or more until the muscle is properly healed.