They also recommend nutritional and lifestyle changes. In 1994, the U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research issued a report, that chiropractors generally provided the most effective treatments for acute back pain. The British Medical Journal reported that chiropractic treatments proved more successful than hospital treatments in nearly every way. If the pain is caused by muscle strain or a herniated disk, an x ray will not reveal anything because muscles, disks, and ligaments are all soft tissues. Beware of x rays if you are pregnant.
Orthopedic surgeons are another source of help.
Osteopaths can prescribe drugs and do surgery also, but they are less likely to do so. Physiatrists, also called doctors of physical medicine, are also medical doctors. They recommend lifestyle changes, back braces, etc. Physical therapists try to restore muscle strength and joint and spine mobility. Back pain that comes on suddenly, for no apparent reason.