Lower back pain (LBP) sufferers realize that it is not realistic to go back to work until a physician has written a permission to return to work” (RTW) release. The good news is that about 90 percent of patients with attacks of lower back pain will recover within six weeks regardless of the treatment.

Many studies, however, have been done to find treatment that will make recovering from lower back pain much quicker. A team of physicians set out to review the available literature regarding lower back pain and return to work timing. Ten studies met their strict criteria for review. The goal was to see if recovery from lower back pain would happen more quickly with certain types of treatment.

The various types of treatment studied included "back school" (for example, teaching you how to use your back properly when lifting), physical therapy and exercise, spinal manipulation (osteopathic or chiropractic), and bed rest.

Recovering from Lower Back Pain Still Unpredictable
The authors of this review concluded that there is very little known regarding how to help patients with lower back pain recover more quickly and return to work. They suggested that there is a psychological component involved: if you love your job and really want to get back to work quickly, you are more likely to respond to treatment.

They also stated that bed rest for a brief period (one to three days) is reasonable as long as your pain isn't from something like a "slipped" disc or some other neurological disorder.

Exercise Beats Pain Medications for Pain Relief
Exercise, back school, and PT have all shown promise in helping to prevent recurrence of LBP but were not shown to expedite recovery of a current attack.  The authors suggested that spinal manipulation needed further study before it could be evaluated.  They did not comment on the use of pain medications or muscle relaxants.

For further information, see: "Randomized Controlled Trials in Industrial Low Back Pain Relating to Return to Work.  Part 1. Acute Interventions," Scheer, S MD; Radack, K MD; O'Brien, D Jr MD, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

See Related Articles
Need help strengthening your lower back to treat or prevent pain? If so, see Lower Back Pain: Do Core Stabilization Exercises Help?

For more exercise suggestions to treat back pain, see Best Exercises for Back Pain.