I spent seven hours in a plane yesterday coming back from visiting my daughter and her family, after a week on a not great bed and then the plane ride my back is tied in knots. So here I sit I can't lay down and I'm sure not sleeping. I've taken a muscle relaxer, a pain pill and spent an hour on the floor stretching. I'm trying some alternate hot and cold now and hopefully will get a little sleep. My kids need to move closer to home so I never have to get in one those torture contraptions again. At least it is a free HBO weekend.

Best investment I have made in a long time was my inversion table. I have to pay attention to my back or it will give me trouble. Surgery was recommended 10 years ago. Losing 30 lbs. And working out, then hanging upside down for 5 to 8 minutes before bed has made a huge improvement. If I crunch my spine I will hang, stretch while hanging then take it easy for a couple hours and I am back to my normal. 56 years old 40 years heavy hard work, still working.

I feel your pain had my first back catch probably 20 happened some years ago.. Never know when it's going to pinch me usually only couple times a year. For some reason seems to be around spring or fall. Doc said could be something simple as change inactive and boots, shoe??
All I know is Yesterday I leaned over to pet the dog bam! Had to walk like a hunch back rest the day..Feeling better this morning but will be careful today not to make it worse..Your for sure not the lone ranger lots folks with Backs that stick them...
Good luck with what every choice of treatment you chose.

Mac

I feel your pain. Literally. 4-6 major episodes a year, where I'm incapacitated for 4-5 days. Herniated disc at L3-4 with a central protrusion, and the last MRI read "sever spinal stenosis". No one wants to work on it.

Muscle spasms, lay on the floor knees up, twist body, legs one way arms the other back n forth, best thing for my back, keep back stretched out 1-2 times a day and you might not have much trouble

Laminectomy for me in 1993. L4. Been doing kettlebell training since 2003. No back pain since. Bad back is usually due to weak abs and lower back muscles. also due to not lifting correctly.

Mine was caused by a small tree taking me across the small of the back and years later a bad fall on the ice, ripped a ligament loose , now one vertebrae is not stable and moves back and forth pinching the spinal cord. I also have moderate stenosis. Tried surgery 1 and 1/2 years ago, not much help. I am trying to avoid more surgery.

Do any of you use a theracane? It's a green tool that I use on the sore spots of my back and it seems to help. I found one@ a thrift store.

I’ve broke mine twice. I live with pain everyday. I hope you get better. I try and stretch every morning seems to help.

Ill second the inversion table. Since u dont have one, give this a shot. Lay on ur back with ur knees bent, feet down so ur knees are pointing up. With ur palms, push ur hip flexors, or the crease in ur hips from bending your knees, away from you, so like ur pushing through your hips toward your feet. Exhale, and concentrate on the lower lumbar stretching. Same kind of principal as inversiom.

Inversion tables ,. I owned one several years ago and had a doctor inform me to get rid of it . He mentioned that the human body is not designed to be inverted and that many people have actually died and had strokes while hanging upside down due to a brain aneurysm .

Yup the Inversion table is a god send to the right person. I got mine at a Dunhams for around $150.00 I was prescribed by my back Dr. Physical therapy including spinal stretching. They used a machine that looked like a mid evil rack torture device, lol had a harness under arms and holder for my feet. Insurance covered 21 visits. Therapist told me about the inversion table as it was helping to relieve compression of my spine. Luckily after insurance ran out I could buy monthly membership for $30 a month. I still work as a mechanic at a large golf resort, and build courses, running and working on heavy and light equipment. Last Dec. weight was 260 lbs right now 226 lbs between that, the table and continued working out I feel better all day. I will say though that getting up in the morning and after supper and sitting for a hour or so I am still stiff and pop and snap but once I am rolling not bad. I cannot keep up with the young guys at work but I can always out smart them. Lol Every sunrise I see is a gift of God.