Acetaminophen is almost worthless to me as a painkiller (the exception is that combining it with aspirin makes a very effective headache remedy).
Ibuprofen is a miracle worker for pain that is caused by inflammation, but otherwise has minimal effect for me.
I can't honestly say Ive experienced releif using either.
I've had good luck with ibuprofen for a herniated disc and sciatica pain. I don't really trust acetaminophen and tend to avoid it. The fact that they sneak it in a bunch of stuff has always bothered me. Like the sucralose of medication. I think only one Nyquil variant (Cough) doesn't have it.