What is better for lower back pain, chiropractic therapy or physical therapy?

Depends: Both can help with back pain. The chiropractor tends to provides treatments to the patient to improve their pain, allowing for a passive patient role. Whereas the physical therapist tends to provide treatments (exercises) for the patient to engage in, allowing for a more active patient role. Both approaches can be effective.

A third option: Along with chiropractic and physical therapy, i would also suggest that you consider osteopathic manipulation. Unlike chiropractors and physical therapists, osteopathic physicians are fully licensed physicians that can provide manipulative as well as medical or pharmacological treatment in a holistic fashion according to your specific needs.

Diagnosis: You should first seek an orthopedic specialist for persistent pain and any dysfunction. Don't go first to a chiropractor. Chiropractors do not actually diagnose, but find problems from an outmoded theory disproved many times. Your orthopod can recommend medications, rest and proper physical therapy. Surgery is a last resort.

Neither..: 7.5 percent of caucasian patienists are b27 positive, a marker that relates to inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, called sacroiilitis. This problem can be also associated with psoriatic arthritis (phil mickelson-golfer) and other types. You need medication for this to stop inflammation causing the problem. Of course exercise and massage are ueful for sore muscles, but a correct DX is needed.

Depends how severe: Both are viable therapies, but I would consult an orthopedic MD. first to rule out some more severe ailment that won't resolve with just chiropractic and PT- i.e. a severely herniated disk in the neck or back.