Article: Your pain should improve if you stay off your feet for 2 days. After 2 days, you shouldn’t rest for too long at once, as this could make your symptoms worse. Instead, get up and walk around every half hour.  Slow yourself down so that you don’t over-stress your back. Don’t bend or lift anything. If an activity is causing you pain, then you should avoid it. If your herniated disc is causing you pain, over-the-counter NSAIDs like ibuprofen, Advil, naproxen, or Motrin may relieve it. Use them sparingly and only if your doctor approves them.  If your pain is still severe, talk to your doctor about other pain relief options, such as prescription painkillers. If you’re having muscle spasms, your doctor may prescribe you muscle relaxers.  Since medications can cause long-term effects or result in dependence, you should use as little as possible to manage your symptoms. Your doctor can lower the swelling around your vertebrae and nerves with corticosteroids. They will inject them into the area around your herniated disc to relieve some of the pressure. Sometimes your doctor will be able to give you oral corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, but it isn’t as effective as an injection. Most people will see improvement in the weeks after beginning treatment. If you don’t, your doctor may recommend physical therapy. The physical therapist will teach you exercises to strengthen your lower back and core muscles. Spinal decompression therapy is a nonsurgical procedure where the spine is stretched out to relieve pain. If you're interested in spinal decompression therapy, talk to your doctor or visit a trained chiropractor or osteopath. Studies on the effectiveness of spinal decompression therapy are limited. Very few people who have a herniated disc will need surgery, but your doctor may recommend it if nothing else helps your symptoms. The doctor will remove the part of the disc that is protruding. In rare cases, the doctor may need to fuse your vertebrae together to keep them stable or may implant an artificial disc. After surgery, your doctor will likely recommend physical therapy. Back pain is no fun, but there are ways to manage the symptoms. You may not be able to get rid of it forever, but you can lower the amount of back pain you experience by giving your lower back some TLC.  Get a massage.  Do yoga. Visit a chiropractor. Get acupuncture.

What is a summary?
Rest for 1 to 2 days but not longer. Take NSAIDs to cope with pain. Ask your doctor about cortisone injections to reduce inflammation. Do physical therapy if your symptoms do not improve after a few weeks. Try spinal decompression therapy. Consider surgery if nothing else works. Manage your lower back pain.