A panel of experts declared that people who suffer low back pain have higher chances of getting relief without the aid of surgery.
Experts from the American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians mad eup the panel and has released guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain.These guidelines cover back pain that are not due to a specific condition such as a slipped disk, a cancer, a fracture, or a compressed nerve.

Panelist Roger Chou, MD, associate professor of medicine at Orego-n Health & Science University in Portland said that there are lots of options out there that have pretty good evidence of effectiveness. Chou is director of the clinical guidelines development program of the American Pain Society.

“There is no one perfect treatment for everybody. If you are interested in spinal manipulation and acupuncture, the evidence is just as good as for medications,” added Chou.
In the old days, doctors would advice people with low back pain to stay in bed for three days, with a board under their mattress. According to Chou, it was a very bad advice that actually made back pain worse.

Chou emphasized the importance of activity by encouraging people to get out of their beds and do normal range of activities to actually keep your back conditioned and to make it stronger. Doing regular stuff won't hurt your back. However, when you feel pain, you have to back off right away.

In the past, doctors also used to give routine X-rays to patients complaining of low back pain. This wasn't right as far as the expert panel is concerned. X-rays are only for a suspicion of an underlying condition that could be confirmed by imaging studies.Generally, most people suffering from low back pain have episodes of acute pain. However, nearly one third of patients report persistent pain of at least moderate intensity.The panel found evidence that different patients can get relief from a wide variety of treatments. These treatments include:

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy Exercise therapy Spinal manipulation from a chiropractor, osteopath, or physical therapist Intensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation (physical, vocational, and behavioral therapies provided by multiple providers with different clinical backgrounds) Acupuncture Massage therapy
Yoga Progressive relaxation Chou advised that patients and doctors need to talk. “Don't use stuff not backed up by evidence. Don't fall for stuff just because it's touted on the Internet or whatever,” said Chou.
According to Scott D. Boden, MD, professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of the Emory University orthopaedics and spine center, the panel's advice confirm what back specialists have been saying for years.

“These programs have been around for 15 to 20 years. Some studies show they have a benefit, some not. A lot of this has to do with the psychological makeup of patients,” said Boden.

According to Boden, it is just a short period of time where back pain is absolutely debilitating for most patients. “For some, the most important thing is just the education that they are not falling apart, so they can to stop searching for the cure and go on and live their lives,” he said.Both Boden and Chou agree that surgery is not the answer for most patients, considered to be the No. 1 most overused medical treatment. Since surgery doesn't offer a large advantage in most patients, the message is that most people will be able to get better without surgery.