Dr. Richard Kowal is a chiropractor who's treated plenty of people suffering from back pain.
He says, "They've either had it for a short time and it's very severe, or they've had a lower level of pain that they've been living with."
Alison Howlett is one of his patients. She came to him with severe lower back pain after a car accident.
Allison says, "It affects your entire day, every movement, putting on your pants, brushing your teeth. One of the hardest things for me is washing my face in the sink."
A Consumer Reports' survey shows that many people who visited a chiropractor were happy with the results.
Dr. Orly Avitzur says, "Almost 60% of those who tried chiropractic manipulation said it helped a lot. And about the same percentage of people were highly satisfied with their chiropractor."
Also rated very helpful in the survey were other hands-on therapies, like massage as well as physical therapy. And these treatments were rated more helpful than over-the-counter or even prescription medicaiton.
If nothing is working to relieve your pain, surgery is a consideration. But how happy you are with the results will likely depend on your diagnosis. And always proceed with caution.
Dr. Avitzur adds, "More than 50% of respondents reported a problem with recovery from surgery, for example, finding it longer and more painful than they had expected. And 16% said their back pain didn't improve at all after surgery."

Finally 44% of those surveyed found exercise helpful, making it the highest-rate self-help treatment.