With so many different options for back pain patients, it is imperative to address what kind of back pain symptoms you have, what the source of your pain is and which modalities will be best suited to helping you overcome your back pain.

The following list are the most common sources of pain for back sufferers

1. Joint pain, such as sacroiliac pain and facet joint pain.  
2. Nerve pain
3. Muscular pain

Identifying the source of your pain and the length of time you have been suffering from it will assist you in making an informed decision on who to see for your back pain. Seeing the wrong practitioner at the wrong time can delay your rehabilitation period, so it's important to get it right from the onset.  

The following list are the 10 most common modalities that address back pain.

1. Physiotherapy
2. Chiropractic
3. Osteopathy
4. Remedial Massage
5. Myotherapy
6. Exercise Physiology
7. Acupuncture
8. Dry Needling
9. Bowen therapy
10. Pilates

If you are suffering from an acute lower back flare up, as in you have only been suffering in pain for a few days or weeks maximum, then the following guide will help you make an informed decision on who to see.

If you have Joint pain, such as sacroiliac pain and facet joint pain the following modalities are best suited to your condition.

• Physiotherapy
• Chiropractic
• Osteopathy

If you have Nerve pain, as in sciatica pain or referred pain down the leg then we recommend

• Physiotherapy
• Chiropractic
• Osteopathy

If you have pain that is coming from the muscles and or the connective tissue of the lower back we recommend

• Remedial Massage
• Myotherapy
• Physiotherapy

For people who are suffering from chronic back pain, greater than 3 months and have not responded to any of the above listed modalities it is important to note that a different approach may be needed to address the underlying cause of chronic back pain.

The most common modalities that chronic back pain sufferers turn to after not responding to massage, physiotherapy and chiropractic are:

• Pilates
• Acupuncture
• Bowen Therapy
• Exercise Physiology

For many longer term back sufferers, they often turn to these alternative options out of desperation for a lasting solution to their pain.

If you are not responding to any of the listed modalities, you need to see someone who thinks outside the standard realms of the modality they have studied. Most modalities only focus on the symptoms of back pain, and if this is not giving you a lasting result, then you must seek a practitioner who will address the underlying cause.

We recommend reading articles on this site, that go deeper into our recommendations for chronic back pain sufferers who are not responding to the standard approach of lower back pain care.