The last thing anyone with a sore back wants to do is move it around.

I know — I’ve been there myself, and the natural reaction is to find a spot where you can sit as stiff as a board and move as little as possible.

The other natural reaction, of course, is a fistful of painkillers.

Don’t give in to either reaction: There isn’t a bad back on the planet that’s been cured by painkillers, and a new study confirms that sitting tight can actually make the pain worse — and even boost your risk of depression, too.

Researchers randomly assigned 109 back patients to either stay active through the pain or limit their activities as much as possible — and if you’re suffering from back pain you might want to get up for this one: Those who moved had quicker recoveries, less pain and less depression than those who limited their activity.

The researchers say a person who goes into statue mode when they feel back pain could be setting themselves up for the classic downward spiral: Since they’re not moving, they feel more pain. When they feel more pain, they get depressed — and since depressed people feel pain more, it can feel even worse than it really is.

Of course, anyone who’s battled back pain — and that’s nearly everyone at some point — knows there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for treatment, but too many doctors stubbornly insist on giving everyone the same advice.

Along with a big jar of painkillers.

Now, another new study confirms that docs have it all wrong — because patients given a more customized treatment plan get better results at a lower cost.

Researchers divided back pain patients into three categories based on their risk of long-term pain and disability, and assigned them to different levels of advice and/or therapy based on that risk.

A year later, these patients all had less pain and more improvements than a group that got the standard one-size-fits-all advice.

Sounds good — but make sure your customized treatment plan isn’t a choice between one bad mainstream option and another.

Despite what you’ve heard, you can beat the pain — even extreme pain — without meds or surgery. Acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic care and more have all shown to help put back pain on the back burner.

And in many cases, time alone can heal those invisible wounds.

For more on natural back pain options, visit the Web site of the Health Sciences Institute and enter “back pain” into the “Find a Cure” box.

And don’t forget to keep moving.

You wouldn’t dream of pumping a newborn full of powerful painkillers like ibuprofen — yet nearly a fifth of all pregnant women take these meds during pregnancy… and it’s killing their unborn children.

Some of the most common painkillers of all — non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen — can dramatically boost the risk of miscarriage.

Canadian researchers compared data on 4,705 women who suffered a miscarriage during the first five months of pregnancy to 45,050 women who did not, and found that those who took the painkillers had 2.4 times the risk.

Putting that into stark real terms, a woman has a 15 percent risk of miscarriage right off the bat — but if she’s been popping these painkillers, that risk shoots up to 35 percent.

And believe it or not, those numbers might be on the low side: The researchers used prescription drug records, not self-reported use, to figure out who had taken the painkillers.

That leaves out the scores of women who take over-the-counter drugs — because in Canada, as in the United States, both ibuprofen and naproxen are widely available.

Other NSAIDs include rofecoxib, diclofenac and celecoxib — but don’t put too much effort into memorizing those names. Most of the drugs that have become a common part of the household medicine chest aren’t nearly as safe as you’ve been led to believe, and that’s especially true during pregnancy.

On the other hand, you never needed those drugs in the first place — and pregnancy is a great opportunity to wean yourself off them for good as you explore the safe and effective nondrug alternatives that have helped millions beat pain, even during pregnancy.

One study a couple years back found that 81 percent of pregnant women who suffered from back pain got at least some relief from acupuncture — versus 59 percent of women who got a sham treatment.

The needles don’t hurt — in fact, you’ll barely feel them.

But if acupuncture’s not for you, try a good rub: Not only is massage therapy proven to bring pain relief to pregnant women, but it also can have a powerful stimulating effect on the immune system.

And that’s something that can benefit mom and baby alike.

Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder are routinely pumped full of antipsychotic drugs. And as most of them will tell you (in language I can’t use here), those drugs aren’t doing a darn thing for them.

And now there’s research to back them up — and it’s not all in their head.

Researchers randomly assigned 247 combat vets who were suffering from PTSD to either the antipsychotic medication Risperdal (aka risperidone), or a placebo, for six months.

In both groups, only 5 percent of veterans had a complete recovery. In both groups, between 10 percent and 20 percent showed some modest improvement. And in both groups, the vets reported similar scores for depression, anxiety, and quality of life.

In other words, the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that this “powerful” drug has all the power of a sugar pill.

But while the vets who took the drug didn’t get any relief, they did get a few other things: side effects such as weight gain and fatigue, including an extreme level of fatigue known as somnolence.

While the study only involved Risperdal, the researchers say they believe similar antipsychotic drugs — including Seroquel, Geodon, and Abilify — will prove to be every bit as useless.

Fortunately, our soldiers don’t have to wait for Big Pharma to answer the call when it comes to PTSD. The U.S. military itself has been quietly investigating some of the best alternative treatments, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, fish oil, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and acupuncture.

And the early word from many veterans who’ve tried these treatments has been encouraging (and printable).

Some of the most promising research involves acupuncture, with medics in the field even using the needles to treat the traumatic brain injuries.

Back on the homefront, research on the technique for PTSD itself is under way right now.

In one small recent study, veterans suffering from PTSD who were given either acupuncture or group cognitive-behavioral therapy for 12 weeks had significant improvements when compared to a control group. The benefits lasted for full three months after treatment.

Obviously, we need more studies to ensure these treatments really do work — but since we now know for sure that drugs don’t, let’s stop wasting time and give veterans the real thanks they deserve.

Let’s get them healed.

Real-life medical mysteries don’t play out like an episode of “House.” Many people suffer through years of frustrations and setbacks without ever getting any answers.

But even if a team of docs, specialists, and House himself can’t figure out what’s wrong, you can still get real relief from many of the world’s most mysterious — and most common -– conditions.

All it takes is a little patience… and a lot of needles. I’m talking, of course, about acupuncture.

A new study finds that when it comes to musculoskeletal health problems and other common “mystery” disorders, acupuncture can ease pain and improve quality of life.

British researchers recruited 80 patients with an average age of 50 who had made at least eight trips to the doctor over the past year for conditions that included chronic pain, fatigue, and/or emotional problems. Many of these patients were in so much pain they had trouble completing everyday tasks, had problems at work, or even disability.

Half of these patients were given 12 acupuncture sessions over 26 weeks, while the other half served as a control group.

Those who got the pins-and-needles treatment reported remarkable improvements — including a boost in overall wellbeing, more energy, and less pain. What’s more, the researchers wrote in the British Journal of General Practice that these benefits remained even 26 weeks after the treatments ended.

The control group, naturally, showed no improvements. But after the initial 26 weeks, researchers invited them to the acupuncture party –- and they quickly recovered to the same degree as the patients in the first group.

Despite being poorly understood by mainstream doctors, mystery conditions such as musculoskeletal problems are far more common than you might think. Up to a fifth of all patients suffer from them, which means someone you know is probably battling one of these illnesses right now.

You might even be in that fight yourself.

But as the new study shows, you don’t have to take “I don’t know” for an answer anymore.

If your doc is stumped and all the specialists in the world insist there’s nothing wrong with you, don’t book another fruitless appointment.

Try an acupuncturist instead.

But while you’re going alternative, why stop there?

An experienced naturopathic physician might be able to succeed where your mainstream doc failed and find the real source of your condition.