For general low back pain, ice, rest, NSAIDs like Tylenol, and avoiding strenuous activity for 2 days works for most cases. But if you cannot afford to wait, you can accelerate pain relief with things like red light therapy, laser and pulsed electromagnetic field. If pain persists, consider getting checked by a chiropractor. Low back pain is best avoided by keeping fit, maintaining a strong core (abdominal and spinal muscles) and practicing good posture and movements.

The best treatments for lower back pain include cold therapy (cryotherapy), infrared heat lamps, pulsed EMF, red light therapy, laser, and TENS. Traction may help relieve pressure to your discs and can be accomplished using an inversion table. Exercises to strengthen the back muscles and abdominals, as well as posture correction exercises help prevent future episodes of lower back pain. Also, if you are overweight, getting to a healthy weight will help reduce lower back pain.

Use ice for the first 24-48 hours after onset of low back pain to numb pain and reduce swelling, then shift to heat to increase blood flow, hence oxygen and nutrients to the injury. Ideally, visit a cryotherapy center to get dry freezing air, or go inside the cryotherapy chamber for 3-4 minutes. Infrared heat is better than a hot pack because it penetrates deeper.

As your pregnancy enters the 3rd term you will gain the most weight. This will put your lower back into a sharper arc when standing, which compresses the discs and facet joints of the lumbar spine. So a good exercise is pelvic tilts: lie on your back, knees bent with feet on the floor, and contract your abdominals so as to flatten your low back against the floor and curl your lower back into flexion. Push off just a little with your feet for leverage. Hold the flexed lumbar position for 3 seconds then relax, and repeat. Do about 12 repetitions three times a day. This decompresses your discs and facet joints.

Chronic, non-specific low back pain is the most common type. People who engaged in a heavy labor job, sports, or prolonged sitting in their job are at the highest risk. Obesity is also a risk factor. But some people with none of these factors can get this type of back pain. The causes are not well known but are most likely due to abnormal core/ postural muscle coordination and strength, poorly healed soft tissues, and even sensory nerve dysfunction in the spinal cord and/or brain. A smart remedy for this type of low back pain is increasing one's fitness and muscle coordination using functional exercises. Check with an athletic trainer experienced in improving muscle coordination and response time.

A "pinched disc or nerve" is the layman's term for disc herniation. The term suggests the disc material or spinal nerve root being pinched by the vertebrae above and below it, causing pain. A disc herniation is the bulging outwards of the disc center called the nucleus, which can happen from an injury or from gradual weakening of the disc annulus, the bulk of the disc arranged in concentric rings. A disc typically herniates posteriorly and to the left or right. If it's big enough, it can "pinch" the exiting spinal nerve root and cause leg pain and numbness on that side, sometimes down to the foot but mostly to the calf. There's a good chance you have a pinched nerve from a disc herniation if your pain occurred from trauma (fall, sports injury, lifting something heavy); it feels deep and sharp/focal; it makes you stand crooked to one side, and you have leg symptoms.

Low back pain can be ergonomic related. This means how you sit, stand, walk, and move in your environment. If your work station is arranged such that it requires you to bend excessively, it can strain your spine and cause pain. It can also cause imbalances in your abdominal, spinal and gluteal muscles which can cause things like an anterior or posterior tilted pelvis, which can cause low back pain. If you have a sedentary job, you may lose muscle group coordination which is needed to properly move your spine during everyday movements such as picking something up from the floor. This can make you prone to a back injury.

A good stretch for low back pain is the cat-camel: Get on the floor on your hands and knees, look straight ahead. Relax your back muscles so that your low back sinks/ stomach falls downwards, and arch your neck back (camel posture). If your back is too stiff to sink on its own, force it into an arc by contracting your low back muscles. Hold for 5 seconds, then round your back by contracting your abs and pushing down on your hands (cat posture) and let your head drop downwards. Repeat 10x, 3 times a day.

If you have low back pain for over two or three weeks that seems to have gradually appeared on its own (no injury event involved) and have been resting, using ice and heat and taking NSAIDs to no effect, then you should see your doctor. This could be a sign of metastatic bone cancer, infection or other pathology capable of producing low back pain.

Chiropractic is statistically a comparatively safe therapy. Chiropractors complete a course of study similar to medical doctors, are licensed by the state and are required to take continuing education to keep their license active. Chiropractic adjustments may be able to lessen your down time from low back pain. Although most cases of low back pain resolve on their own with rest, avoiding strenuous activity for a few days; ice, heat, and NSAIDs chiropractic adjustments can be helpful in reducing pain level, down time, and preventing recurrence. A chiropractor can determine if you have deficiencies in your skeletal alignment that may be making you prone to injuring your back, and can correct them using manual techniques.