Low back pain: what NIAMS and NCCIH say about physical therapy and nondrug care
NIAMS lists physical therapists, “who specialize in movement and strengthening muscles,” among the providers who treat back pain, and it suggests getting physical therapy “to help strengthen the muscles that support the back.” NCCIH reports that a 2017 American College of Physicians guideline recommends nondrug treatments first for chronic low-back pain. This page quotes NIAMS and NCCIH only.
Quoted from official pages checked November 12, 2026. Confirm current information on those sites. This page is not medical advice and does not describe any patient’s care.
Sources read on November 12, 2026: NIAMS’s Back Pain overview and its Back Pain: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take page (both last reviewed February 2023), and NCCIH’s Low-Back Pain and Complementary Health Approaches: What You Need To Know (last updated January 2020). The NCCIH page is older; check it for newer information.
Types of back pain, in NIAMS’s words
NIAMS describes three: acute back pain “happens suddenly and usually lasts a few days to a few weeks”, subacute back pain “lasts 4 to 12 weeks”, and chronic back pain “lasts longer than 12 weeks and occurs daily.”
Physical therapy and activity
NIAMS states: “Avoid bedrest; instead, limit activities or exercise that cause pain. Gradually increase physical activity as tolerated.” And: “Get physical therapy to help strengthen the muscles that support the back, which can improve mobility, posture, and positioning. Strengthening exercises can also help decrease pain. Check with your doctor or physical therapist before starting any exercise routine.”
Under “Who Treats Back Pain?”, NIAMS lists pain specialists, family or primary care doctors, orthopaedists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, physiatrists, rheumatologists, and “Physical therapists, who specialize in movement and strengthening muscles.”
On recovery: “Living with back pain can be challenging; however, most people find relief within 6 weeks.”
Whether a patient can see a physical therapist without a referral depends on the state; see direct access.
Nondrug treatment first, as NCCIH reports it
NCCIH states: “The American College of Physicians issued a clinical practice guideline for the treatment of low-back pain in 2017. The guideline recommends that health care providers and patients use nondrug treatments as first-line therapy for chronic low-back pain. It also recommends the use of nondrug approaches for acute low-back pain, with or without drug therapy.” This page does not quote the guideline itself, which was not read.
The NCCIH page is about complementary approaches such as acupuncture, massage, spinal manipulation, tai chi, and yoga. This page does not repeat its findings on each one.
What this page does not do
It does not repeat NIAMS’s medicine or surgery lists or NCCIH’s findings on each complementary approach. It is not medical advice and does not recommend any treatment, medicine, or product. Scope of practice for each profession is set by state law; check your state board.