Back pain can develop in any area of your spine, but the most common place is in the lumbar or lower region of your spine. This area often shoulders the most weight when you sit with poor posture or when you bend over to pick something up. Lumbar pain can occur from an acute injury or from repeated stress, and while treatment depends on the root cause of your pain, it is generally handled with one or more of the following treatment options.

Treat Low Back Pain

Here are five common ways patients and doctors attempt to resolve problematic lumbar spine pain.

Rest – Taking a break from activity is one of the most common treatment options regardless of whether the pain is brought on by an acute injury or overstress. In both cases, in the immediately aftermath, movement may cause inflammation flareups or pain by forcing injured structures to bend and stretch. Give your lower back some time off before jumping back into rigorous activity.

Exercise – This may seem odd since we just said rest is one of the best options, but hear us out. While rest may be good for a day or two, eventually you’re going to want to get back to physical activity to strengthen the muscles in your lower spine. By strengthening these areas, you’re helping decrease the likelihood of re-injury. If you stay inactive for weeks because of low back pain, you’re only going to weaken the area, leaving yourself more prone to back pain. You may not be able to run a few days after suffering from lumbar spine pain, but a 45-minute walk or some water exercises at the gym can do wonders for lower back pain.

Medication – Like most of the treatments on this list, this option should be paired with others to give your back the best chance to heal. There is no magic pill that will cure your back pain. It may help mask the pain, but it’s not going to treat the underlying issue. Anti-inflammatory medications or prescription painkillers should be used to keep pain at bay before or after exercise, or during a flare-up. Consult with your doctor about your options before starting a medication regimen.

Physical Therapy – Exercise is a good way to treat your lumbar spine pain, but oftentimes targeted physical therapy is better. Working with your doctor or a licensed physical therapist can ensure that the stretches and exercises you’re performing are strengthening your spine and actively working to heal your spine. Sometimes we can unknowingly do more harm than good by performing certain exercises (like sit-ups or squats) when it only serves to exacerbate our spine injury. Talk to your doctor about PT exercises you can perform to help treat your spine pain.

Surgery – Surgery is a a very effective treatment for lumbar spine pain, but it is usually only pursued if conservative treatments fail. That said, if an acute injury has caused lumbar spine pain due to a fractured or herniated disc, surgery may be your best option at the outset. The specific procedure depends on the underlying cause of your pain, which is why it’s important to seek out a skilled spine surgeon if symptoms linger for more than 24-48 hours. Whether it’s freeing a pinched nerve or alleviating disc stress, surgery typically offers wonderful results for patients who haven’t had their lumbar spine pain cured through non-operative methods.