Extreme lower back pain

First - heat only provides temporary relief and can actually make the pain worse over a period of time if you're having problems with a sprain, strain, bulging disc, etc. Ice hurts in the short term, but lessens the inflammation and can help your symptoms long term. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Repeat as necessary.

Second - go see a doctor. Your back is vitally important to your well being and ability to move. Definitely get it checked out, even if you don't have insurance.

When I hurt my back (herniated disc), I definitely had to go to the doctor. But, with that being said, there wasn't much they could do but help with pain management until my body healed itself. I agree with LoraF83 - stick with the ice. Don't do any exercises that cause pressure on your back (running, jumping, etc.) and be VERY careful with stretching. My physical therapy centered around small Pilates style moves and those helped a lot (especially with the exercise ball and resistance bands). I also started visiting a chiropractor to make sure that my back didn't have any additional strain from being out of alignment (which is was - one leg was 1 in. shorter than the other) and I started doing acupuncture for pain management (along with Advil). Good luck and I hope you feel better soon! Unfortunately, back injuries take time (my herniation took 6 months total to resolve), so take a break and give your body time to heal.

First I just wanted to say that pain medication is not a "home remedy" But never mind. These are a few more things you haven't tried that might help, but I think it's important to go to the doctor atleast once to get diagnosed, becuse it sound like sciatica, bulging or heniated disc.

These are more options:

Ice, Heat or Ice and Heat
Heat and ice treatment “shocks” the body out of the pain spasm cycle. Ice numbs nerve pain that fire pain signals, while heat relaxes them.

Fill a zip lock bag with crushed iced and a little water and squeeze all the air out of the bag. Apply a paper towel between your skin and the ice pack to prevent “freezing” your skin. Apply the ice for 20 minutes, than remove for 20 minutes and repeat. You will feel the relieving effect of the ice within 5 minutes max.

If you like heat better than ice, a hot tub works great for some people. A better option in my experience is a heating pad. But not just a regular heating pad, a Far Infrared heating pad, which penetrates the skin up to 3 inches (compared to the surface-only heating of a regular heating pad). Deep penetrating invisible red light soothes your pain immediately, while relaxing your muscles and better improves circulation to help the painful area. This means you are not just kicking the pain away (for at least 6 hours), but you are helping your body heal better in the process.

Most back pain creams work using a technique known as “counterirritants.” They have menthol in them, which cools your skin, and methyl salicylate (a potentially toxic ingredient), which warms it up. This only distracts you from the pain and not for long I might add. Instead, you can try a pain relief cream that actually has some healing ingredients, such as a broad-spectrum homeopathic pain cream. For the very least it will contain only natural ingredients and will give you the same relief, in 5 minutes.

If you want a long term solution using natural herbs, you can try a systemic enzyme therapy supplement, combined with effective herbs such as Boswellia, Devil’s claw, turmeric and Bromelain.

Hanging upside down is an ancient trick to relieve back pain. By hanging upside down, you increase the space between your vertebrae, “taking a load off” your discs, ligaments and nerve roots. This means less pressure on the nerve roots, which bring relief in about 30 seconds.

This treatment is not only a temporary pain relief, it also helps to realign your spine and promote healing from a herniated disc and spinal stenosis. You can invert at home by using one of these two home devices: An inversion table, or the Nubax Trio device (similar effect as an inversion table, only smaller and takes less space in your house)

Hope this helps:)

Be very careful with the heat! It can make it worse. I had 2 herniated discs in my lower spine as well. My physical therapy focused on stretching my hamstrings and hip flexors, and building my core muscles up to support this area. Good luck!

You've suffered long enough and tried stuff at home which hasn't helped. It's time to see a Dr. before you rupture a disc. I've hurt my back twice with patients at work. The first time I went to a chiropractor. It was time consuming. I had to see him a lot. The second time I saw a physiotherapist. I did accuptuncture, ice, anti inflammatories, narcotic pain pills, stretching exercises physiotherapy gave me and ultrasound treatment. I had herniated discs. Two of them. I never needed surgery. After your back heals strengthen your core muscles. My physiotherapist gave me an excellent sheet of exercises to do on an exercise ball to strengthen my core muscles.

Ugh, I had the same fall from a horse last year, got back on and sucked it up. My back hasn't been the same since! My muscles didn't heal properly.