While perhaps surprising at first glance, the American College of Physicians is recommending before you jump into using opiods or injections to treat your non-radicular back pain, your first line of treatment should be less invasive approaches such as acupuncture or yoga. These suggestions were published in the February 2017 Annals of Internal Medicine and clearly identify the importance of opting for therapies that have less side effects and fewer long term consequences.

With these new suggestions it seems the days of treating pain with pharmaceutical drugs, followed shortly after with back surgery, are a thing of the past. Although the Eastern world has been using acupuncture and meditative practices like yoga for thousands of years, science is just beginning to verify its effectiveness. Recent positive study results have brought about a change in mindset in the way we approach medicine as a whole in our country.

So, next time you have a flair up of your back or you just aren’t able to move like you used to because of your pain, take your doctor’s advice and see an acupuncturist or check out your local yoga studio. Who knows, you might just get addicted to something natural!

Citation: Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA, for the Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. [Epub ahead of print 14 February 2017] doi: 10.7326/M16-2367