That bad back troubling you again? Then your best bet may be to get out of bed and get on with life, according to University of York experts.

Doctors should advise people suffering from acute and chronic lower back pain to try and continue with day to day activities, they say.

And the report by the university-based NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination claims there is little evidence that some treatments, such as acupuncture or lumbar supports, are effective.

The health care costs of back pain in the UK were estimated at £1,632 million, and lower back problems are "very common" in developed countries.

"For acute low back pain, advice to continue ordinary activity can give faster symptomatic recovery from the acute attack and lead to less time off work," reads the report which is a summation of wide-ranging studies dating back to the 1990s.

"There is strong evidence that exercise therapy may help chronic low back pain patients return to normal daily activities and work."

Experts from all over Europe contributed to the report and information was also taken from North Yorkshire Health Authority.

The centre published the information in its Effective Health Care bulletin which "summarises the research evidence on the effectiveness of the most common treatments for acute and chronic low back pain".

Other bulletins the centre has produced have looked at such diverse topics as management of breast cancer, hip replacement, preventing teenage pregnancies, and fillings.

Updated: 08:51 Monday, February 05, 2001