There are many treatments available for back pain, some of which have a degree of success and others do little to improve the condition. It is usually found that self care at home, in the initial phases of the back ache are often best, and the pain normally goes away within a month or so.

For self care, most doctors agree that bed rest and decreased activity are counter productive to easing the pain, although some victims of sciatica may benefit from a little rest. Some sufferers find the application of heat or an ice pack can bring relief and for reducing the pain, such medicines as Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen can be useful.

If the back ache is persistent, then it is best to visit a doctor who knows the medical history of the patient, and can make suitable prescriptions from his/her knowledge of the patient. The following medicines may be recommended to ease the back pain.

a). The most common medications for back pain are the NSAIDs, which are Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Naproxen or Ketoprofen The doctor may change from one NSAID to another to ascertain suitability and effectiveness.

b). Acetaminophen already mentioned is another effective treatment for acute back ache, sometimes the prolonged use of NSAID type drugs can have side effects leading to gastric irritations.

c). Amongst the NSAID type of medicines there are a class of drug which do not lead to gastric irritation, and have a much reduced risk of intestinal tract bleeding, but they can be expensive. These are known as COX-2 Inhibitors. Celebrex is one such example. Although these inhibitors, along with other types of NSAIDs, are currently being evaluated for possible safety risks associated with heart attacks or strokes.

d).The use of Oral Steroids have been found to be of good use in treating acute sciatica, but steroid injections are not recommended and have been shown to be non effective for sciatica, and indeed the use of injected steroids for the treatment of either acute or chronic back pain has not been shown to be positively effective, and their use remains controversial.

e).Opioid Analgesics. Such drugs are another option for treating acute back pain, but they are known to carry side effects which can result in opioid dependency, nausea and impaired thinking. Perhaps the most common side effect is constipation which occurs in many patients shortly after taking the medicine.

Apart from medications, the only other option for treatment is surgery. This maybe considered for sufferers from chronic back ache, but would not be used to treat acute back pain except in case of serious sciatica or cauda equine syndrome.

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