Over the years, people have tried just about everything to ease their sore backs. But some of these old-fashioned remedies don't hold up under modern scientific scrutiny.

If your grandmother told you to put on your red flannel jammies or eat some black beans when your back hurts, she was probably passing on some wisdom she heard from her grandma. There are numerous folk remedies for back pain passed down through the generations, and some have even been studied by researchers — but many of them don't hold up against medical science.

“Home remedies are, sadly, a little disappointing when we study them,” said Eugene Viscusi, MD, an associate professor and director of acute pain management at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia.

The problem — as anyone with backaches knows — is that unmanageable pain makes you desperate enough to try almost anything. Here are a few common back pain remedies and how their claims stack up:

1. Wearing red flannel. Although not on the prescription pad, donning red flannel footie pajamas (or just the red flannel band some recommend) could actually help you manage pain by providing comfort and a bit of warmth. “There’s value to therapeutic touch,” noted Dr. Viscusi. If that interests you, you might want to try massage therapy, which has been proved to help ease back pain — no studies have been done regarding the wearing of red flannel.

2. Cupping. Like wearing red flannel, cupping therapy may work purely because of the therapeutic touch involved. Said to be part of traditional Chinese and Korean medicine, this treatment involves creating suction inside small cups (usually through heat) and then applying them to the skin over points known to be significant in acupuncture, the traditional Chinese treatment. The suction pulls on the skin, supposedly increasing circulation in the area. A recent small study comparing people who received cupping for lower back pain with those who did not receive any treatment showed a small decrease in pain for those who had cupping therapy. However, you might get more benefit from acupuncture itself; it has been shown to help with lower back pain, said Viscusi.

3. Bee stings. Advocates of bee sting therapy — also known as apitherapy — claim that substances released in bee venom can reduce pain and inflammation. One report published way back in 1989 found that bee sting therapy was safe and effective in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. If you're interested, know that it takes multiple bee stings for the venom to have a therapeutic effect. You should also be tested first to ascertain that you're not allergic to bee stings — up to 3 percent of adults are. The American Apitherapy Society is a good place to start your search for a practitioner.

4. Applying raw potato peel. You might have read about potato poultices, bundled scrapings of potato that are applied to your back where it hurts. There’s no reason to think potatoes have magical properties that counter pain, but in this case, Viscusi said, your pain could be moderated by the distraction of the poultice preparation process and by the cool sensation of the potato peel. It wouldn’t hurt to use, or reuse, refrigerated peelings for a nice cold pack effect.

5. Eating black beans. Black beans are advocated in traditional Chinese medicine as a natural back pain cure. As with potatoes, there’s no magic to beans. And, if you don’t eat a lot of fiber and decide to try the black bean approach, you might unwittingly increase your overall pain. Fiber causes gas for many people, especially when you significantly increase the amount you eat, and this might add to lower back and abdominal pain rather than help it. Beans are good for you, however; just take it slowly if you decide to try this.

Here's the takeaway: Pain of all kinds is something of a mystery to patients and doctors alike. Many aspects of your life that don’t seem to be related to pain, such as how much sleep you’re getting or how worried you are, might make pain seem worse to you. The subjective nature of pain means that sometimes an unusual pain management approach, such as putting potato peels on your back, could work.

“Chronic pain patients are often desperate, and if they try something and it works — and it’s not dangerous — they can go ahead,” said Viscusi. However, he cautions, make sure the doctors who manage your pain know what you are trying because not every home “cure” is harmless. Some home remedies and herbals can affect bleeding, which is a concern when you have surgery, and they may also interfere with other medications you're taking. It’s a good idea to first ask your doctor about any strange rumor or home remedy you come across.