Yep, will try and get on if I am in decent enough shape. A full night on the heating pad at max might make a difference.

A fifteen minute yoga routine every other evening. I went from waking up stiff and in pain every morning to feeling like I did in my late twenties/early thirties.

I can e-mail you a Quicktime movie of the routine (cute blond yoga teacher) if you want. You won't notice much change for the first few weeks but by 4-5 weeks you'll be amazed. The routine is designed for newbies.

-Blast

I guess I worded my post badly. I meant I have a full prescription bottle of hydrocodone in my Personal Support Kit.

I've lived with back pain since my accident on 8/8/93. I have spent many thousands of dollars on various treatments, including Chinese therapy. I am now to a point where I can manage it.

1. Start anti-inflammatory over-the-counter meds
2. Get in the bathtub and soak with near-hot water. Better, yet, go to the gym and alternate between jacuzzi and cold water several times
3. Start getting massage two or three times a week.
4. After the above have relaxed your back enough, you need to wind down the expense of massage and start stretching. The psoas (spelling?) muscle is one of your top goals. Get professional advice on stretches, but one that I like is I sit down on the carpet with both legs extended out. Then, I bend one foot back and set it next to my bottom. Then, lean back slowly. Hold for maybe 30 seconds. Switch sides. Start over. As time goes on, you'll be holding your stretches for up to a minute and eventually you'll be able to lie all the way down on your back with your foot curled under. This stretch alone, for me, has been a life saver.
5. Rolfing is great, but this therapy is expensive and painful.
6. Every once in a while, you'll lapse back. When that happens, start at step 1 again.

I'm convinced that stretching is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. Read up on it. There are a lot of positives.

If it doesn't help, try a cane. Being a tripod (or quadruped!) is more stable, and changes the tension in your back and sides.

And being a cranky old man with a cane means you've got a friend in the airport.

As someone who suffered from knife-in-the-back, nausea inducing, immobilizing back pain for years, I feel your agony. Like Blast said, Yoga is gold for the back. They often have classes devoted specifically to lower back therapy. I'd also recommend a good Osteopath. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you pinpiont the source of the pain and what brings on the muscle spasms or inflamation (usually something related to unstretched piriformis/hamstrings and unconditioned abdominal muscles). After years of debilitating pain, X-rays, top orthopedic surgeons, costly physical therapy, I was finally shown simple stetches and exercises that has kept my back spasm-free (pain free) for 4 years now. Good luck.

I got a Select Comfort mattress a few years ago. It helped enormously. I used to blink back the tears in my eyes when I tied my shoes in the morning. A couple of weeks to get the mattress dialed in and no tears since then. They are expensive, but worth every penny. I've heard the Tempur are also great.

Yes, the tempur pedic mattresses are great!!!!

Hang in there, benjammin. I also pulled something Friday, so I feel your pain. I'm flying to Asia tomorrow so I'm a bit worried about hauling my luggage around, plus that 12-hour plane ride across the Pacific (coach class). I'm feeling pretty good today, so knock on wood.

Yeah, Tempurpedic mattresses are great! It's sort of deceptive. When you lie on it, it feels like a firm mattress overall, but you do sink in at the pressure points so the support is very even and comfortable.

Good advice. I used to be good for one or two "immobilizing events" a year, until I started yoga. I do mine in the morning though, and the instructor is a guy, but it sure does work. Blast is also right that it will take a while for you to really notice the difference. This is more preventive maintenance than a cure for what currently ails you. Good luck on that airline seat.