Many have no choice in the matter. Their back pain will force them to drop on their knees. Others will be frozen bent over. Either way, back pain is a signal to stop what you're doing. In the past, it wasn't unusual for a doctor to tell a patient to remain at bed rest for weeks, even months.
Research now shows prolonged bed rest does more harm than good.
Studies on acute back pain show two days of bed rest is as good as a week or more in terms of allowing the strained muscles to unbind and relax. When bed rest and ibuprofen or aspirin don't help within a day or so, you should seek out a back specialist, because this is often a sign that something more serious is wrong. Ice and heat can alleviate local pain that comes from muscle and ligament strain. Heat increases blood flow to the deep tissues, whereas ice acts as a local anesthetic. Research shows that ice slows the swelling and inflammation that occurs after injury.