Back pain is probably one of the most frustrating health conditions.
Despite trying to treat it – it comes back over and over again.
So what other options do you have left?
Well, there's something you should consider – natural remedies:
- long-term effect
- no secondary reactions
- can be combined with prescription treatment
For this reason – here are the 4 best treatments for lower back pain you should really give a shot (+ video).
Note: These are all alternative treatments based on natural remedies, so they don't replace prescription treatment. If you haven't seen any doctor yet, make sure you visit one in the nearest future.
#1 – Glucosamine + Camphor Cream
1. How It Helps: In cases of back pain caused by arthritis/cartilage problems:
- re-builds damaged cartilages (even from scratch in some cases)
- decreases inflammation
- relieves pain both on the short and long term
- treats the cause from the inside
2. Best Way To Use It: Internally (glucosamine) and topically (camphor)
3. My #1 Recommended Products: Nuzena Joint Support + and Mentholatum Ointment
This is definitely the best natural solution in most cases of lower back pain.
When combined with prescription treatment – these 2 remedies can have an instant effect.
1. How It Helps
Many cases of lower back pain are caused by arthritis or cartilage damage:
- cartilages wear off due to aging/accidents
- joint lubrication decreases considerably
- back pain is combined with stiffness
- there's also a serious lack of mobility
Now – how can glucosamine and camphor cream help in this case?
- Glucosamine is the only compound that can repair damaged cartilages.
- It also decreases inflammation around the area.
- Plus, it promotes flexibility and increases movement,
- However, its effect appears after 1-2 months.
- Camphor creams have a local numbing effect.
- They provide excellent relief until glucosamine starts working.
In other words – combining these 2 totally different remedies can be really successful in back pain.
Glucosamine treats the actual cause behind but it needs time to work.
On the other hand – camphor only improves the symptoms but it has an instant effect.
So in 1-2 months, this combination should have a major effect on your pain.
It's by far the strongest combination from this list.
That's why I strongly recommend it for all cases of arthritis.
2. How To Use It
In order to get the most from glucosamine – taking it as pills is a must:
- much better absorption (compared to powder form)
- higher dosages
- faster effect
Regarding camphor, its best effect appears when used topically.
For this reason – I recommend using it as a cream.
Because of its very strong effect, this remedy isn't even used internally.
So combining glucosamine pills with topical camphor is the best solution at this point.
3. My #1 Recommended Products
There are 2 products I would strongly recommend.
First of all – you can find glucosamine in lots of different supplements.
But after doing a long research, my #1 pick is Nuzena's Joint Support +:
- strongest type of formula on the market
- lowest price among its competitors
- installments payment available
- available worldwide
There are many other supplements with the exact formula as this product.
For this reason – their effect is pretty much the same.
But in terms of price, all supplements I looked into were considerably pricier.
That's what makes me recommend Nuzena's supplement as the top alternative.
Regarding camphor – I strongly recommend a product called Mentholatum:
- combines camphor with menthol
- effect is much more intense with this combination
- excellent price
- higher dosages (than in other products)
Since both products are really easy to find at very low prices, I don't think you can pick anything better.
#2 – Diet + Apple Cider Vinegar
1. How It Helps: Decreases inflammation behind back pain.
2. Best Way To Use It: Eating healthier and consuming a special ACV drink daily.
3. My #1 Recommended Products: Any organic brand (for ACV) and fresh foods.
Adjusting your eating habits can benefit your low back pain.
And even though diet alone can't make miracles – combining it with ACV can increase its strength.
1. How It Helps
Certain foods can either decrease or worsen inflammation.
Since inflammation is pretty usual in back pain – there's a big connection between diet and pain:
- sugars and processed foods spike inflammation levels
- anti-oxidants decrease inflammatory molecules
- fresh foods and vegetables also reduce swelling
For this reason – healthy eating can decrease your body's level of inflammation.
However, your back pain won't get much better with diet alone.
That's why combining it with an additional remedy is very helpful.
I'm talking about Apple Cider Vinegar:
- Natural drink with a very simple recipe
- Major positive feedback about its pain relieving effect
- Extremely effective in inflammatory back pain
Unfortunately – ACV doesn't have any eligible studies behind (related to inflammation).
However, all of the praising reviews it had can't be fake.
For this reason – it's really worth trying if you have an inflammatory lower back pain.
2. How To Use It
Changing your eating habits isn't as hard as it seems.
However – try to do it for a short period of time (so that you can see whether it works in your case or not):
- Give up sugars and fast-foods for several weeks.
- Replace them with mode fruits and vegetables.
- Try to consume fish regularly.
- Replace soda with home-made smoothies.
Don't imagine you have to give up every food you love. That's totally not the case.
Just try to be a bit more restrictive with your diet – at least for a while.
If your back pain gets better, you will see it was worth the effort.
As for Apple Cider Vinegar – I recommend diluting a tablespoon in an 8 oz glass of water.
Drinking the mixture once a day should be enough.
3. My #1 Recommended Products
There's no certain brand of ACV I recommend.
Just make sure to choose an organic product.
But other than that – they all use the same recipe, so the brand doesn't really matter:
- there are many brands on Amazon
- local stores also sell organic products
- you can find a bottle for less than $10
As for the diet – try to consume fresh foods without any additives.
#3 – Topical + Oral Turmeric
1. How It Helps: Reduces inflammation around the affected area.
As a consequence – it also decreases the pain.
2. Best Way To Use It: Supplement and powder.
3. My #1 Recommended Products: VitaBalance's Turmeric Curcumin Plus (oral) and any organic brand (powder).
Turmeric is probably the best natural remedy against inflammation.
Since back pain has an inflammatory compound – turmeric's benefits are obvious.
1. How It Helps
No matter what is causing your lower back pain – there's surely inflammation around the area.
And that's why turmeric is so effective:
- best herb for inflammation
- strong effect against swelling
- works faster than most natural remedies
Now – in most cases, the actual cause behind the back pain isn't inflammation.
That's why turmeric doesn't actually treat the main cause.
But that's what prescription treatment is meant to do.
On the other hand – turmeric decreases the swelling around the area (and consequently, the pain).
So its strong effect on pain is extremely helpful.
2. How To Use It
The best way to get the recommended dose of turmeric is through pills:
- much higher absorption rate
- stronger and faster effect
- higher doses
Some turmeric supplements contain an absorption booster (BioPerine) – which makes a bit difference.
That's why supplements are my top recommendations on using this herb.
However, turmeric can also have a local effect – using plain powder:
- Mix turmeric powder with water until it becomes a paste.
- Apply it on the painful spot on your back.
- Let it sit for a few minutes.
- You can also massage the area in the meantime.
- Your pain should slowly decrease.
Now – turmeric doesn't have the same local effect as camphor.
That's because it doesn't numb the painful area (as camphor does).
Instead – it decreases inflammatory molecules inside the skin.
But powder doesn't contain an absorption booster – so its absorption is quite poor.
For this reason, using turmeric only locally doesn't have an amazing effect.
However, if you combine topical powder with pills – the effect is a lot better.
3. My #1 Recommended Product
In terms of turmeric supplements, there are several products I recommend.
However – my #1 pick is VitaBalance's Turmeric Curcumin Plus:
- same quality formula (and doses) as most turmeric supplements
- much lower price than its competitors
- increased absorption rates
At this point – it's the best turmeric supplement I know (in terms of quality/price).
As for the powder, there's no certain brand I prefer.
I actually recommend buying turmeric powder from local shops.
It's usually cheaper than if you bought it online.
#4 – Exercising + Heat Therapy
1. How It Helps: Increases flexibility and reduces stiffness.
2. Best Way To Use It: Locally (heat therapy)
3. My #1 Recommended Product: Any quality heating pad
Even though it's difficult to move around with back pain – it surely helps.
That's why exercising in an essential remedy while fighting the pain.
1. How It Helps
Normally – simple exercises increase the blood flow in your lower back.
When you're dealing with pain, this is very helpful:
- improves mobility
- increases tolerance
- helps flexibility
However – exercising is almost impossible when your back is in severe pain.
For this reason, I recommend a simpler alternative: moving around or walking.
In this way – you can get most of the benefits of exercising without struggling.
But even so, walking can still be hard when you're in pain.
That's when heat therapy comes in:
- Heat decreases stiffness very fast.
- It also increases mobility and flexibility.
Obviously – heat isn't an actual treatment, it's only a way to decrease the symptoms for a short while.
But it can keep you pain-free for a few hours, so that you can move around and increase your body's flexibility.
2. How To Use It
First of all – use a heating pad to decrease the stiffness from your back.
If you don't own one, a hot bottle or a heated-up rice bag could do.
- Place the heating pad on your achy back.
- Let it sit for a couple of minutes.
- Your stiffness should start to decrease.
Now – heat isn't the best remedy against pain itself.
So if your stiffness gets better but the pain is still too intense, use some ice (which is great for pain).
Once your pain and stiffness get better, it's time to move around.
As I said – walking around your house or nearby is enough.
Just make sure you don't sit down all day long.
3. My #1 Recommended Products
Heating pads are extremely helpful in arthritis or any kind of back pain.
That's why I recommend you to get one:
- much easier to use than rice bags
- pretty affordable
- only need to be plugged in
Basically – bottles or rice bags are a lot harder to get heated-up.
Plus, the cool down quite fast (unlike a heating pad).
My Verdict – What's The Best Treatment For Lower Back Pain?
Short answer: It depends on the exact cause.
First of all – I recommend following the treatment prescribed by your doctor.
However, associating it with one of these home treatments can be very helpful.
So which of these 4 treatments should you use?
It depends on the problem you have:
- Arthritis: Glucosamine + Camphor Cream
- Chronic Inflammation: Diet + Apple Cider Vinegar
- General Inflammation: Topical + Oral Turmeric
- Stiffness: Exercising + Heat Therapy
Obviously – you can combine all of these 4 treatments.
But if your back pain persists and you don't know the cause – visiting a doctor is essential.
That's why this is my top recommendation.
Once you receive a prescribed treatment, you can also follow each of these 4 remedies.
But keep in mind that none is going to heal the problem behind your back pain alone.
As I have gotten older I have had much more lower back pain, maybe it is just my body telling me to slow down, I am not as young as I once was! I typically just buy a box or two of Icy Hot and tough it out, but I have never heard of the first 3 treatments you have listed here. Since it is typically when I have pushed my body too far, whether by working out too hard or just work in general, I think I will give this Turmeric a try. I notice you say pills are the quickest way to solve the back pain, will that have a negative affect on my liver? It doesn’t happen often, but when it does the back pain makes just about everything unbearable! Thank you for the advice, I am going to stock up for the next time my back tries to tell me something 🙂
Hello Travis, thanks for letting me know your opinion, I’m glad this advice helped. Your lower back pain seems to be caused by physical effort, so your joints are probably fine. That’s why out of these 4 treatments, I recommend focusing on the 3rd one (turmeric), just as you expected. That’s because turmeric calms down the swelling inside your back, which probably appears after effort. So that’s what causes your pain and turmeric should definitely stop it.
Make sure you take both turmeric pills and use the powder topically, on your painful spot. As for your question, turmeric pills are natural, so they don’t affect the liver. At most, turmeric can cause digestive problems and diarrhea, but these side effects are very rare. Anyway, the point was that it surely doesn’t affect the liver.
Since your low back pain isn’t caused by arthritis, you don’t need a very strong dose of turmeric. That’s why you don’t have to invest in a pricey one – instead, a regular product would do. Here are my top recommendations when it comes to quality turmeric products for a low price.
Please let me know if this helps!