Anyone who has ever suffered some form of back injury has sought relief through the use of back pain medications at some point in their life. In fact back issues are one of the most common conditions that doctors see every year. If you do go to the doctor there are a number of medications he or she may prescribe to help keep the pain under control.

There is a general understanding within the medical community that pain relief is an important part of the healing process. For this reason the chances of being prescribed a drug for back pain when you visit the doctor are rather good. Part of healing from an injury of any sort involves being able to move around, even it it\'s to only get out of bed for a few minutes several times a day. A degree of mobility is important to the general well being of anyone with back problems.

There are several classes of back pain medications that are in use today and these include anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID\'s), acetaminophen, muscle relaxants, and opioids. These can be used by themselves or in combinations depending on the severity of the pain experienced and the cause of the injury.

NSAID\'s are a group of anti-inflammatory drugs that include ibuprofen, aspirin, Ketoprofen, and Naproxen. These drugs have anti-inflammatory and anti swelling properties as well as being able to relieve pain and most can be gotten over the counter. Another OTC pain reliever is acetaminophen which most people know as Tylenol. Anacin-3 and Phenaphen are two other acetaminophen analgesics that can be used to reduce back pain.

Codeine and morphine are to high powered pain killers commonly known as opioids. Doctors will prescribe these for those in severe pain when the pain killer mentioned above do not work. Because opioids do present an addiction hazard they need to be used cautiously and as prescribed.

Muscle relaxants work to control muscle spasms that happen when you injure your back. The reason most people have muscle spasms when they hurt their back is because the muscles around the injured area are trying to compensate for the loss of strength at the injured spot. These spasms can be painful and by relaxing the muscles we get relief from that pain.

Reducing pain is an integral part of healing a bad back and back pain medication should be used to help achieve that goal. Pain relief comes with a caveat; just because the pain is gone does not mean the injury is healed. Far to many people further aggravate their painful back by doing to much when their pain is being controlled by their medication.