A Brief History of Back Pain Treatment

When you think about medical treatments in the past, you might be like me and immediately think of leeches. No matter what was wrong, I always imagine people in burlap clothes covered in leeches. It turns out that our ancestors were a lot more medically minded than I gave them credit for, and it seems as if we have understood back pain for thousands of years and experimented with ways to ease it since the days of the pyramids.

It makes sense, really—our biology is exactly the same now as it was then, and stress and tension will have built up due to the physical demands of daily life, meaning the people of Ancient Civilizations like Egypt would have sought treatment for their stiff backs and aching joints just like we do today.

However, despite all the history of great innovations you’ll find in this blog (and all our modern advances in ergonomic design and health tech) back pain remains the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting over 600 million people, and that number is expected to reach 800 million by 2050.

So how far have we really come, and what does our long history of back care tell us about what still works today?

c. 1600 BCE - Ancient Egypt

Early Spinal Injury Care

The Edwin Smith papyrus including the five cervical spinal injury cases (Taken from Spinger)

The Edwin Smith Papyrus—the earliest known medical text—details spinal column injuries and “wrenching” of vertebrae. Healers advised bandaging neck and back injuries like cervical strains and disk injuries with fresh meat the first day, then powdered alum and honey, instructing rest until recovery.

The papyrus shows that ancient healers understood vertebral trauma, spinal cord involvement, and nerve-linked pain, laying the foundations for medical innovation for centuries to come. 

c. 400 BCE - Ancient Greece

Spinal Manipulation & Traction

Illustration of hippocratic bench in use (Taken from Wikipedia)

Hippocrates, often cited as the father of western medicine, discussed possible causes and treatments of back pain in his writings. He was one of the first known humans to figure out the link between the joints in the spine and the nervous system and invented what is known as a “Hippocratic bench" which uses tension to set and straighten bones–very similar methodology to the well-known medieval torture device, showing that it’s a fine line between torture and therapeutic treatmen (think about that next time you’re getting a sport massage!). Speaking of, Hippocrates often prescribed massage, heat, dietary changes, and music as alternative ways to treat back pain.

c. 200 BCE - Ancient China

Acupuncture & Holistic Care

Acupuncture guide from Huangdi Neijing (Taken from Forum Auctions)

The Huangdi Neijing is one of the oldest and most influential Chinese medical texts — a foundational classic that shaped Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. It describes back pain as an imbalance in Qi (vital energy) and poor circulation along the body’s meridians. Legendary physicians like Hua Tuo (c. 140–208 CE) used acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal plasters, and therapeutic massage to ease stiffness and restore movement — treatments that have persisted for over 2000 years and are still used worldwide today.

C. 180 CE - Roman Empire

Refined Traction & Hydrotherapy

Image of recreation of spa treatment in-situ at the Roman baths in Bath (Taken from Roman Baths)

Galen was the Roman Empire’s most famous physician and built on Hippocrates’ ideas by proving how spinal cord injuries affected movement and feeling. He refined traction benches, combined them with manual pressure, and popularized using Roman baths with hot and cold water to ease pain and stiffness — an early form of hydrotherapy and spa treatment that you have likely witnessed for yourself at your local baths.

C. 1000 CE - Islamic Golden Age

Systematic Orthopedic Surgery

A double-page spread from Al-Tasrif (Taken from Madain Project)

Al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis, ~936–1013 CE) was a pioneering surgeon from Al-Andalus (modern Spain) and is celebrated for his significant contributions to the field of surgery. His encyclopedic work Al-Tasrif described over 200 surgical instruments and included detailed methods for setting fractures, treating dislocations, and managing spinal injuries. He systematized bone-setting and splinting, advancing practical orthopedic care for back and neck problems. His techniques shaped European and Middle Eastern surgery for centuries.

C. 1741 CE — Enlightenment Europe

Birth of Modern Orthopedics

Illustrations found inside Andry’s Orthopaedia: or the art of correcting and preventing deformities in children. (Taken from The Royal College of Surgeons)

Nicolas Andry, a French professor of medicine at the University of Paris, coined the term orthopaedics in his influential book Orthopédie to describe how to prevent and correct spinal and limb deformities in children. Inspired by Andry’s work, physicians across Europe designed early scoliosis braces, spinal splints, and traction frames to straighten crooked spines and train children’s posture. These braces, the first back supports, laid the foundation for modern orthopedics and remain a key tool for treating spinal conditions today.

C. 1895 CE — Late 19th Century

Chiropractic & Osteopathy

Osteopathic treatment for Impotence inside the 1898 Osteopathy Complete manual (Taken from Wikipedia)

A.T. Still, an American physician, founded osteopathy to treat back pain and other illnesses by restoring healthy motion to the spine and joints, because he believed human illness was due to problems with the musculoskeletal system. He thought that the body could reliably heal itself of many problems if its structure was sound. He opened the first osteopathic school in Missouri, turning hands-on spinal care into a regulated medical profession and inspiring modern physiotherapy.

Around the same time, D.D. Palmer developed chiropractic treatment, using quick manual thrusts to adjust misaligned vertebrae and relieve pressure on nerves. Together, osteopathy and chiropractic laid the groundwork for today’s widespread use of spinal mobilization, massage, and manipulation of the joints. 

1954 CE - 20th Century

Massage Chairs

The first ever massage chair! (Taken from Fujiiroki)

In 1954, Nobuo Fujimoto of Fujiiryoki invented the first automatic massage chair, using scrap metal and wood while working at a public bathhouse, because thought he could create something to offer relaxation even in the dressing room. The technology he invented is still mostly unchanged modern massage chairs–mechanical balls and rollers that knead the surface muscles.

While massage chairs have never replaced manual treatment, they did popularise the idea of convenient back relief and brought mechanical therapeutics into the mainstream and paving the way for further innovation in the field. 

c. 2025 CE - 21st Century

Robotic Back Care

An Image of BackHug showing the internal robotic fingers

BackHug is a robotic back therapy device designed to deliver consistent spinal mobilization and joint de-stiffening using 26 human-sized robotic fingers. It was invented by Chongsu Lee, a physiotherapist with over 10 years of experience, who found that manual therapy was limited by human fatigue, discomfort, and inconsistency. To solve this, he built a robotic version of himself to handle routine spinal maintenance, freeing therapists to focus on more specialized care.

Early clinical studies show an average pain reduction of 29% after a single 10-minute BackHug session, and internal results reporting a 44% drop in tension after three sessions.

What history shows is that humans have likely always suffered from back pain—and that we’ve always had determination to ease it. For thousands of years, healers from ancient Egypt to Enlightenment Europe figured out that relieving stiffness, aligning the spine, and relaxing tight muscles are key to feeling better.

Today, despite the centuries of innovation and improved knowledge, back pain is still the world’s leading cause of disability. But the main message about how to care for it hasn’t changed: good movement and targeted manipulation work best.