Apparatus and methods for treating back pain are provided in which electrical stimulation therapy is designed to cause muscle contraction to rehabilitate the muscle, restore neural drive and restore spinal stability. In accordance with one aspect, electrical stimulation is applied through at least one electrode to stimulate efferent motor nerve fibers to cause muscle contraction to facilitate rehabilitation without targeting stimulation of afferent nerve fibers. In accordance with another aspect, a stimulator further includes one or more of a number of additional therapeutic modalities, including a module that provides analgesic stimulation; a module that monitors muscle performance and adjusts the muscle stimulation regime; and/or a module that provides longer term pain relief by selectively and repeatedly ablating nerve fibers.