Bed rest for more than a few days is not recommended, as this can reduce your muscle strength. When the pain lessens, activity levels must be increased gradually and carefully.

Back braces and can relieve strain and support your back temporarily. But prolonged use may result in weakened muscles, so the use of this must be limited to less than a week.

The back's system of bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves work together to bear the weight of your body and the loads you carry. The structure of the back provides considerable strength and flexibility, but because the spine is so central to the body's movements, even small amounts of damage can often cause pain.

The spine consists of 33 bony segments, the vertebrae. Between these lie the discs: tough, spongy cushions that act as shock absorbers for the vertebrae and give the spine flexibility. Strong elastic ligaments hold the vertebrae and disc firmly together in a column. Muscles are attached to the vertebrae by fibrous connections called tendons. The complex layers of back muscles contract to move your back and upper body.

The spine also protects the spinal cord, which runs down through a canal formed by the vertebrae. Nerves from the spinal cord branch out and leave the spine through spaces between the vertebrae at the levels of the discs.

Spinal movement is made possible by joints between the vertebrae that consist of two flat faces or "facets". If these degenerate, the two halves of the joint grate painfully against each other. Firstly, the disc herniates or wears down and secondly, this puts more stress on the facet joints behind it. These joints become inflamed and later wear out (osteoarthritis). The inflamed joints cause backache.

Later the arthritic joints become big and swollen (like an old lady’s arthritic finger joints) and these enlarged joints protrude into the spinal canal and cause narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis). This causes pinching of the nerves running down the buttocks and legs with nerve pain and weakness down the legs (sciatica).