Pain killers (NSAIDs) such as Advil, Aspirin, Motrin, Proprinal, Tylenol, etc. are not much more helpful than placebo and users are 2.5 times more likely to suffer from stomach problems, according to a comprehensive study.

A group of Australian researchers analyzed 35 peer-reviewed trials involving 6,065 patients on the use of common pain killers [NSAIDs] such as ibuprofen for back pain, and  published a comprehensive study [Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for spinal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Gustavo C Machado, Chris G Maher, Paulo H Ferreira, Richard O Day, Marina B Pinheiro, Manuela L Ferreira] in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, in February, 2017.

Studies have shown that pain killers do little for your lower back pain. And your family doctors have little to offer beside the non-working pills. What do you do?

Yoga may come to your rescue.

A new research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in June 2017 found that gentle yoga routines designed specifically for back pain could help ease lower back pain, and that such special gentle Yoga exercises can be as effective as physiotherapy treatments of equal length. The study involved 320 racially diverse, predominantly low-income chronic lower back pain participants from Boston area.

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports indicates that perceptions of stiffness or pain in the back may not reflect the actual state of the spine or muscles.

Dr. Tasha Stanton, senior research fellow at the University of South Australia's School of Health Sciences in Adelaide and her team researched the neuroscience behind clinical pain by applying measurable pressure to the spine of 15 patients with self-reported feelings and symptoms of chronic lower back pain, and an additional 15 healthy, age-matched control group.