What to Do for Back Pain: 8 Practical Steps to Ease Pain and Support Recovery
If your back pain has recently flared up, it can be difficult to know what to do. Should you rest? Keep moving? Use heat or ice? And how do you know whether you need professional help?
The good news is that most back pain is not caused by anything serious. Although it can feel worrying and significantly affect everyday life, there are some practical things you can do to manage your symptoms and support your recovery.
What should you do when back pain starts?
Here is the short answer:
- Keep gently moving
- Avoid prolonged bed rest
- Temporarily adapt activities that significantly increase your pain
- Use heat or ice if it feels soothing
- Find a comfortable sleeping position
- Ask a pharmacist or GP about appropriate pain relief
- Gradually return to your normal activities
- Seek professional advice if your symptoms are severe, worsening, recurring or not improving
Here are eight practical steps you can follow.
1. Should you keep moving with back pain?
In most cases, gentle movement is helpful when you have back pain. You do not need to push through severe pain, but completely stopping all activity can make you feel stiffer, weaker and less confident about moving. Try short periods of comfortable activity throughout the day. This could include:
- Walking around your home
- Taking a short, gentle walk outside
- Regularly changing position
- Continuing with light everyday tasks
- Using gentle movements that feel comfortable
Some discomfort with movement does not necessarily mean you are causing damage. However, if an activity causes a large or lasting increase in your symptoms, reduce it temporarily and try again more gradually.
The aim is to find a manageable level of movement that helps you remain active without repeatedly causing a significant flare-up.
2. Which activities should you temporarily adapt?
You do not necessarily need to avoid a particular movement completely, but you may need to change how often, how quickly or how heavily you perform it. For example, you might:
- Break a larger task into shorter stages
- Use a lighter weight
- Change position more regularly
- Take brief movement breaks when working or driving
- Ask for help with a particularly heavy or awkward task
- Reduce an aggravating activity temporarily rather than stopping everything
There is no single “perfect” posture for preventing back pain. Backs are designed to move in different ways, so changing position regularly is often more helpful than trying to hold yourself rigidly in one position.
As your symptoms begin to settle, gradually reintroduce the movements and activities you have reduced. This helps rebuild strength, confidence and tolerance.
3. Can heat or ice help back pain?
Heat or ice may provide short-term relief, although different people prefer different things. A warm shower, covered hot-water bottle or heat pack can feel soothing and may make it easier to move. Some people prefer a covered ice pack, particularly during the early stages of a painful flare-up. Whichever you choose:
- Wrap the heat or ice pack in a towel
- Do not apply it directly to your skin
- Use it for short periods
- Stop if it irritates your skin or makes your symptoms worse
Heat and ice will not address every factor contributing to your pain, but they may make you more comfortable while you keep moving and recover.
4. Should you rest when your back hurts?
Avoid prolonged bed rest unless a healthcare professional has specifically advised it. You may need a short period of what we call “selective rest”. This means temporarily resting from the particular activity that significantly aggravates your pain while continuing with other comfortable movements and daily activities.
For example, you might pause heavy gardening for a few days but continue walking, moving around the house and completing lighter tasks. Your body needs movement to remain strong and adaptable. A gradual return to normal activity is usually more helpful than waiting until you feel completely pain-free before moving again.
5. Can you take pain relief for back pain?
Appropriate short-term pain relief may help you remain active and sleep more comfortably. The right medication will depend on your health, other medication you take and your individual circumstances. Some pain-relieving medicines are not suitable for everyone.
Speak to a pharmacist or GP before taking medication if you are unsure what is appropriate for you. Always follow the instructions provided with the medication and do not exceed the recommended dose.
Pain relief should not be used simply to push through an activity that is causing a significant increase in symptoms. Its purpose is to help you remain comfortably active while your back recovers.
6. What is the best sleeping position for back pain?
There is no single sleeping position that is right for everyone with back pain. The best position is the one that allows you to feel supported and sleep as comfortably as possible. You could try:
- Lying on your side with a pillow between your knees
- Lying on your back with a pillow beneath your knees
- Using pillows to support yourself in a comfortable position
- Changing position during the night when you need to
Quality sleep is important because poor sleep can make pain feel more difficult to manage the following day. You do not need to remain perfectly still or maintain one position throughout the night. Experiment with different positions and use whichever feels most comfortable for you.
7. Why has your back pain started?
Back pain is not always caused by one specific injury or damaged structure. It can be influenced by a combination of factors, including:
- A sudden change in activity
- Doing more than your body is currently used to
- Spending a long time in one position
- Reduced strength or general activity
- Poor sleep
- Stress and worry
- Previous episodes of back pain
- Reduced confidence in movement
Understanding these contributing factors can help you make positive changes and reduce the likelihood of repeated flare-ups.
Your back is a strong and adaptable part of your body. Experiencing pain does not automatically mean that it is damaged, weak or “out of place”. Recovery often involves gradually returning to movement, rebuilding strength and becoming confident in what your back can do.
8. When should you see a physiotherapist?
Consider seeing a physiotherapist if:
- Your pain is severe or worsening
- Your symptoms are stopping you from working, sleeping or completing normal activities
- Your pain keeps returning
- You have pain, tingling, numbness or weakness affecting your leg
- You are worried about your symptoms
- Your pain is not beginning to improve
- You are unsure how to return safely to exercise or activity
A physiotherapy assessment can help identify the factors contributing to your symptoms and check whether further medical investigation is needed.
Your physiotherapist can then create an individual recovery plan. Depending on your needs, this may include advice, symptom management, appropriate hands-on treatment and a progressive exercise programme.
At goPhysio, we focus on helping you understand your symptoms, regain confidence and return to the activities that matter to you—not simply providing a temporary treatment.
Find out more about physiotherapy for back pain.
When is back pain an emergency?
Most back pain does not require emergency treatment. However, some symptoms need urgent medical attention. Seek urgent medical help if your back pain is accompanied by:
- New difficulty controlling or emptying your bladder or bowels
- Numbness around your genitals, bottom or inner thighs
- New or rapidly worsening weakness in one or both legs
- Pain, tingling, numbness or weakness affecting both legs
- Difficulty walking because of new leg weakness
- Back pain following a significant accident or trauma
- Fever, chills or feeling generally very unwell
- Severe pain that starts suddenly or becomes worse quickly
If you experience new bladder or bowel problems, numbness around your genital or saddle area, or rapidly worsening leg weakness, go to A&E or seek emergency medical help.
If you are unsure how urgently you need help, contact NHS 111.
Frequently asked questions about back pain
Is walking good for back pain? For many people, gentle walking is a useful way to remain active during a back-pain flare-up. Begin with a comfortable distance and gradually increase it. If walking causes a large or lasting increase in your symptoms, shorten the walk or seek individual advice.
Should I stretch a painful back? Gentle movement can help, but there is no single stretch that is right for every type of back pain. Avoid forcing a stretch or repeatedly performing a movement that makes your symptoms significantly worse. A physiotherapist can help identify suitable movements for you.
Is heat or ice better for back pain? Neither is automatically better. Some people prefer heat, while others find ice more soothing. Use whichever feels most comfortable, protect your skin with a towel and apply it for short periods.
Do I need a scan for back pain? Most people with back pain do not need a scan. Scans can show normal age-related changes that are not necessarily responsible for the pain. A healthcare professional may recommend imaging if your symptoms or medical history suggest that further investigation is needed.
How long does back pain take to improve? Recovery varies from person to person. Many episodes begin to settle over days or weeks, although some take longer. Seek professional advice if your symptoms are severe, worsening, recurring or not beginning to improve.
Can Pilates help with back pain? Clinical Pilates can help some people gradually improve movement, strength and confidence. The programme should be appropriate for your needs and current symptoms. Read more about why Pilates can help with low back pain.
Take the next step towards recovery
Back pain can be uncomfortable and disruptive, but it does not have to stop you from living an active life.
Keep gently moving, adapt aggravating activities temporarily and gradually rebuild what you can do. If you are worried, your symptoms keep returning or you are not making the progress you expected, getting individual advice can give you greater clarity and confidence.
Our friendly team of physiotherapists in Chandler’s Ford helps people from Eastleigh, Winchester, Southampton and the surrounding areas understand their back pain and return to the activities they enjoy.
Book a physiotherapy appointment or call us on 023 8025 3317 to speak to our Patient Care team.
Sources and clinical review
This article is based on current guidance from:
Clinically reviewed by: Paul Baker MCSP, Co-founder and Clinical Director at goPhysio
Originally published: 31 October 2023
Last reviewed and updated: September 2026
This information is intended as general guidance and does not replace an individual assessment or medical advice.