[Closed] Bad lower back sufferers, what actually helps fix it?

Sounds very familiar, I tried chiropractors, physios and general yoga style stretches.

The most success I’ve had so far is doing a general mobility programme by Tom Morrison. It’s not specifically for bad backs, but there’s loads of glute work with squats, lunges and twists that have helped me.

https://tommorrison.uk/products/the-simplistic-mobility-method

Core strength exercises such as...
The plank
Sideways plank
The bridge
Kneeling Superman

A decent physio. If you can afford it, go private. In the meantime anti-flamnatories to keep you mobile. Avoid sitting around - lie on the floor to watch tv. But seriously - get physio, if it’s not eased after a few weeks as you say, they need to work out the root course (and can give you the right exercises for you, rather than what works for me!) and they can do hands on treatment to help with any muscle inflammation.

Otherwise back issues often are helped by a stronger core but these sort of exercises might not be a good idea whilst your back is still very sore.

I’d been planning to go to a sports massage therapist that my brother swears by but lockdown has ballsed anything like that up 🤷🏻‍♂️. As soon as we we are allowed out again I plan to go see someone.

I’d seriously consider a proper sports physio rather than a massage at the moment. I have had massages on and off when I have had a flare up with my back, but that is having lived with it for some time and knowing what my issues are. Physios will look at you in the whole. Physios are still allowed to operate at the moment - both places I use are still open.

Lots of core work. It's been getting progressively worse for me for about the last 10 years and despite years of general gym work and visits to the physio it's down to an imbalance of muscles around my pelvis, particularly psoas and adductors. Suggest a visit to a physio to help identify specific areas of weakness and to do the targeted exercises to address them. I can do squats, lunges, planks and Russian twists until the cows came home, but it didn't stop the niggly pain whilst on the bike.

Bought a new mattress.

Treat your own back
Book my mckenzie
Works for me

Also agree with dti

New mattress for me.
If I'd known I would have got a new one a year or more earlier.
Mattress was approx 10 years old and didn't feel wrong but I guess if things get slightly worse day by day you just don't notice them.

I only realised when we renovated our house. Moved out for three months and slept in a different bed. Back got better. Moved back in and back to old bed, back got worse within days.

It's old age dawg, you can't outrun it, only make peace with it...

Ive done alot pf grappling over the years and its rough on the back and neck. Doing this keeps me moving..

Its basically a prolonged stretch of the spine, when youre doing it properly you will feel the vertebrae separating as your spine decompresses.

If you google 'asian squat' you should see pictures of people sitting in a deep deep squat. You need to learn how to get into this position and sustain it for a few minutes.

If youre not used to it or aren't flexible it will tale some time. Use a table leg or something to hold onto as you're learning, you'll still get the benefit. Do it a few times if not more each day, starting off for short periods 30 seconds or so..

Before long you should be able to sit like this unsupported and flat footed for 2 - 3 minutes.

If you stay consistent with this exercise it will likely help ALOT in my own and others experience.

Childs pose and Cobra pose after it feels great too.

Good luck.

Top tips from personal experience:

Lie down with cushions under chest to watch telly

Hot water bottle behind your back in the car if you can, rolled up towel if you can't

Tens machines work

Keep moving

Seeing a physio and getting a diagnosis, treatment and exercise advice works for me.

A good physio who can do IMS and follow their exercise, stretch mobility treatment plan that's specific to.yoir injury.

Abi Carver’s “ yoga for lower back pain “ which is aimed at mountain bikers works for me. I get sacro-illiac pain frequently and this helps a lot....Good luck!!

Drugs. The stronger the better. Diclofenac is miracle stuff, I went from crawling round the house to being fully mobile within 72 hours on that stuff. Ibuprofen will help too though as long as you take it for long enough. You'll still need to do all the other stuff but the painkillers help you to keep moving.

Treat initially with ice and some anti inflammatory to settle it down, then a gentle regime of lunges, hip/leg raises and the cream of the crop overhead squats with a broom handle.
I defy anyone to do some overheads properly and not feel the lower back working/stretching/ improving.
I used to crawl from bed in the morning and walk duck like for ten minutes before I straightened up.
Not any more.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=overhead+squat+mobility

Everyone's different of course but, if you can afford it, a good physio as others have said is a fantastic investment. Then do the exercises they recommend religiously.

Once it's settled down then go to see a strength and conditioning coach (not just a gym instructor) and do what they say religiously.

Doing that in my experience banishes lower back pain forever and makes everything (moving, lifting, biking) so much easier. But it took paralyzing back pain (and the dear of it recurring) to get me to bother to do it all.

Good luck

Drugs. The stronger the better.

And the finest wines known to humanity?

Physio and acupuncture helped mine. The acupuncture released the tension which nothing else would touch.

I had previously put acupuncture in the same column as healing crystals but the the physio said try it and soo glad I did.

For me I think the root cause was tight quads/hip flexors and weak glutes, very common amongst desk-bound cyclists apparently.

This video rang summarises it well

Sounds simple to fix, but this has set up a chain reaction where the lower back muscles (quadratus lumborum I think, lives under the erectors etc) gets overworked fighting the tight muscles, gets fatigued, spasms, repeat ad nauseum.

Strengthening and stretching 'the lower back' won't fix it in the long term, needs to be a combination of stretching quads and hip flexors whilst also strengthening glutes and abdominals, all whilst NOT working the lower back.

Is tricky, as I'm finding out, difficult to work glutes and abs without also working Q.L!

Seeing a physio and getting a diagnosis, treatment and exercise advice works for me.

Last physio I saw was poor, won't be troubling him again, glad it was work paying.

Get a recommendation for someone local as some physics aren't really that good

Injured mine 6 years ago and found yoga with a variety of stretches helped. The best thing was doing planks a couple of time a week and touching my toes every day. After a few weeks I really noticed a difference.

Yoga and most importantly for me sacking off the couch....

Modern furniture is designed to look good not be ergonomically good for you.

Bought a more upright supportive chair and have seen massive improvements.

Just need a smoking jacket and copy of the times to finish the look!

Sports massage therapists can still work to treat an injury, so worth getting in contact if you have a recommendation. Mine also does acupuncture- the only quick fix I have found to muscle spasm of low back pain. And keep moving (gently) every half an hr to keep some motion in the ocean.

Mattress and a decent office chair helped me - definitely not all of the answer, but easy to do.

By all means try the suggestions above.
But don't be scared of going back to the doc and asking for further investigation, especially if it's not getting better.
Back pain isn't always an injury/muscular, it can be a symptom of an other underlying problem.
Try to keep a bit of a record of where and when to give them something to work from.

I’ve been an almost lifelong sufferer with lower back pain, if i sat on the edge of a couch for 10 mins I would have to make every single movement for weeks afterwards extremely carefully.
I was always ok, if I didn’t let anything distract me from protecting my back,
I could lift weights that would make most people gasp in disbelief, no problem, but if i sat on the edge of a couch for ten minutes I’d be virtually paralysed.
Anyway, about 10 years ago i bought a memory foam matress and literally overnight i have been basically fine ever since.
I think we paid about £250 for it, lasted 6-7 years.
It’s worth a try.
Obviously, check with a chiropractor to make sure nothing is actually wrong eh.

Mine "pinged" out of the blue a few years ago, and I've had a couple of repeat incidents since.

Finding a (private) physio specializing in lower back issues was an absolute godsend - just phone them up, get an appointment the same day, even at weekends. The immediate relief and drastically shortened recovery time was worth paying 20x what they charged.

As above, he prescribed a program of deep squats to deal with the issue longer term. He also was very clear that ice (not heat) is what you need, particularly immediately after you've just hurt yourself. He said that most people take a really hot shower or use a heat pack thinking it will help - but it actually makes it much worse, increasing the inflammation around the area and significantly prolonging the episode.

Check it's not something else related?

I've had a bad right side lower back for 25y. 10y ago I bought a foam roller and came across a knot in my right calf - that and a tight IT band (most men apparently). A few sessions of eye watering pain and that sorted outy back 75% I reckon.

Don't sit down as much as possible or work sat at a desk.

Only thing that has ever worked for me. So now have wait stand desk and has worked wonders.

All the other stuff never really did anything. Oh and CBD cream from Holland & Barrett.

For me I think the root cause was tight quads/hip flexors and weak glutes, very common amongst desk-bound cyclists apparently.

Same for me. I have very tight/short hamstrings and that is causing the issue up to my lower back when bending and sometimes get a twitch if bending suddenly (last time was putting on a sock!)
Stretching the hamstrings daily does help but also have combination of the other things you mention which are all affecting lower back.

Some yoga move that stretches and alinges the back. Also one of those massage balls.

I went to the GP before Christmas and they did a quick prod and poke and said “nothing to worry about, you’ve hurt your back moving house” but I’ve not had any improvement.

Go back to your doctor, persistent pain over a period of time is a different symptom to recent short term pain. It is a hard area to diagnose and doctors really just play the odds on what is most likely, but long term pain should change the diagnoses.

Surgery worked for me.

Get a twinge every now and then, bit of ibuprofen helps sort that and a visit to a physio who can do some decent back movement work with me.

As above in the most.

I've had a knackered back for years. Started off with herniated disc at L5/S1 many years ago and from Jan to around August 2020 I struggled like hell with pains nearly every day and every movement.

Eventually went to a physio who diagnosed the problem to tight hamstrings and hip flexors. Gave me four stretches to do and after 3 half hour stretching sessions the pains eased off.

Personally I'd avoid many 'sports massage' type practices and go to a NHS or private authorised physio first. Apparently sports massage is not a regulated industry so you could end up in all sorts of trouble if they don't know what they're doing.

Just doing random stretches or something you read in a book could do more harm than good.

If you're anywhere near Leicester I can recommend a guy who works for a large organisation and is about £50 an hour.

My most recent bout was brought on either by trying a new glute exercise (bird-dog with resistance band) or by trying some silly standing/pedalling manoeuvres on the rollers. Coming up for two weeks now and it has eased off.

It always feels better after riding, maybe just the increased blood flow/endorphins.

What sort of mattresses are people buying to help? We've got a relatively nice one on our bed which is quite firm, but I never sleep great, lots of changing position and footering with pillows between knees etc...

As others have said, go and see a physio. The correct exercise to fix it will depend on the problem, just guessing and trying something can make it worse.

Had a recurrence of a disc-related issue and was referred to a physio. I was expecting it to be no more than a nice back rub but in fact it really helped - massage, electric stuff, acupuncture, exercise. Now thinking I can avoid the surgery I was expecting to become inevitable.

Long time sufferer here. L5/S1 double herniation over a period of about 18 months.

After many hours at the physio, all the lower back stiffness is rooted to stiff hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings and quads. Working on those will give some great relief. I've had a bit of a relapse from being sat in my office chair so much in the last year. Have also done some very basic Pilates stuff that helps with lower back mobility. Has been very good for me. First thing in the morning and then again in the evening.

I also got a new office chair with much better support.

Good luck. It's a long road.

I've not read the whole thread so excuse me if this is a repeat.

The back has got so many ways of moving that it finds it quite easy to isolate the painful area and not use it. IN the short term this is good, in the long term though its really, really bad and you need to work hard to stop this.

1. Keep moving. Take painkillers and use heatpacks to make movement possible and try to keep moving.
2. See a decent Sport physio
3. When the physio gives you exercises, do them and keep doing them. When you think you are better, carry on doing them.

In my case long term injury resulted in me just not using my lower back and over compensating elsewhere. My posture , gait and flexibility was awful. My physio beats me up every now and again to get me moving. Hamstring stretching is key to my back health but everyone is different.

Paul

Stay mobile and work the core strength and stretches when you can. <edit> As advised by physio </edit>

If it's inflammation then cold compress on the area will give some relief. Freeze up a cool block then wrap in a tea towel (clean) and apply to the injured part for 10 minutes once an hour. (Don't forget the covering or you'll get freeze burn).

(Editing to say just seen franksinatra's post which completely makes the main points. Do it his way...)

go to a physio/sports physio. Backs are their bread and butter. Been a while since I've done this but seem to remember it being around £30 a session, for a couple of sessions. You've got to assume they'll pick up and refer on anything possibly serious, but you'll get assessed and taught a few exercises. Turned out I had some tightness possibly related to an old injury on one of my glutes/arse muscles, kind of referred upwards. So a lot of specific hitting it with a little foam ball to to relax it was part of the trick (long road rides at the time hadn't been helping). I'd never have picked this up for myself.

(I also - for prevention - do many of the exercises and stretches listed above most days - deep squat into hamstring stretch into downward dog into cobra, reverse and repeat a few times. Have always had good core and flexibility and thought bad backs were for other people, until you get one...)

I pulled my back quite badly about 18 months ago and a physio concluded it was poor core strength - brought on by not riding for 2 years (due to ankle injury). I had tried to go on a ride after a long period of not doing so and basically sitting in an office chair or sofa had made my core strength like that of a toddlers.

Mattresses - don’t think that a firm one will sort your back out, it depends how you sleep. My wife is small and light but curvy and suffers with back issues and we got a very soft mattress she could sink into and mould to her shape as she slept on her side. It’s a bit too soft for me but I sleep on my side as well so it’s ok in general but I don’t use a pillow!!

Solution to bad lower backs is up there with life's greatest mysteries I think.

Extremely stiff lower back here, worst over the past 18 months and resulted in an immobilising painful injury in July last year (no mechanism of injury). Been to a sports physio every few weeks since and following prescribed programme which has helped, but still nowhere close to normal. Still struggle to put my socks on in the morning level of stiffness/pain. Recent MRI scan showed minor disc bulges but nothing extraordinary. So far spent £700+ on physio and can't afford to continue it.

Started doing pilates classes on Peloton but only a few weeks in so will reserve judgement on that.

Latest stretching and strengthening programme focussing on core strength: deadlifts, 90 deg squats and split-leg Bulgarian squats.

Not seen much improvement since Christmas and really getting me down. Next on list is new mattress. Who knows if that'll work but I need to keep trying solutions.

Mattresses – don’t think that a firm one will sort your back out, it depends how you sleep. My wife is small and light but curvy and suffers with back issues and we got a very soft mattress she could sink into and mould to her shape as she slept on her side.

I did wonder, I used to sleep on our spare bed some nights when I wanted to get up early and sneak out for a ride. I would swear the cheapy soft IKEA mattress was better for my back than our 'good' mattress costing 10x as much.

Shame our three year old has taken over the spare room!

As others have said everyone is different and what works for one may make someone else worse.
- If you can afford it get to a good physio and do any exercises they give you religiously
- if the physio can't help try another one, it was the third one I saw that worked out my back pain was related to issues from an abdominal operation.
- Pilates is great for me but I've had to build up. If your doing it yourself start with the absolute easiest exercises and work up when you know what works. i.e. don't go straight into trying a bridge just lie on your back with the knees up and gently rock the pelvis. Exercises shouldn't hurt!
Finally I hope you find something that works for you as I know back pain is so demoralising but for most people it does get better or at least liveable with eventually.

I have had some bad episodes in the past, not so much in recent years and I think that's because of:

More MTBing, the range of movement involved seems to be good for the back. The static position in road riding, on the contrary, can aggravate things a little.

Strength work at gym - back never felt better, starting to miss it now because I struggle to replicate at home.

Certain exercises like knee rolls, leg stretches, clams, all seem very positive for general niggly pains. When I remember to do them.

Ditch the couch/ armchair and invest in a comfy ottoman.

As others have said really. A good physio is worth the expense. But not all physio's are equal. I've seen and benefited greatly from UK leading physio's, great osteopaths and sports therapists. All are different. My osteopath is brilliant for hands on treatment (i.e near instant relief), a sport therapist (located in a good gym) was best for the mixture of hands on and guided/instructed strength work (at a lower cost) and the best physio's you can find are sometimes better for diagnosis of a complex problem (I've been to see both knee and shoulder specialists for this reason).

I think most people (nearly everyone) are rubbish at listening/feeling what are bodies are doing. It's really quite difficult. This is the key point for me and why yoga (not stretching in front of a TV or whilst listening to music) helps lots. Barefoot shoes also help with awareness and posture. I'm starting to learn to feel when bits of my body start to tighten and inhibit movement before they get to the point of needing professional attention. It costs less and is useful when I'm on holiday.

Physiotherapy in general seems to be more art than science, or perhaps equal parts psychology and physiotherapy!

My physio got obsessed with how stressed I was so spent more time giving me relaxation techniques rather than strength etc. She also said the biggest benefit of yoga and pilates for me was in the breathing techniques and meditative qualities of both, rather than an actual physical benefit.

I do disagree with some of her advice, she was focused on a specific injury at a specific time, so I don't blame her, but I also do think I could have benefited from doing more lower abdominal stuff which she dismissed, in general I don't think she really paid much attention to my postural deficiencies (heavily forward tilted pelvis) but again, her focus was to help my rehab from disc surgery, rather than to delve any deeper.

Now I'd almost rather a good strength coach rather than a physio, I need to learn how to strengthen glutes and abs without also working lower back, in time this will protect and relax my lower back enough that I can actually work on strengthening it (although again, my physio was very dismissive of lower back strengthening, said that they are postural muscles only and don't need to be 'strong' as such).

Im in the knackered back back camp, which i put down to a number of things;

1. Army cadets - carrying silly weight as a 13-17 year old - not good
2. never stretching hams and quads (used to be good)
3. poor core strength (used to be good)
4. joining army and carry excesive weight and then jump out of planes with said weight (this was when stretching and core strenght was better)
5. constant DIY
6. Carrying 2x heavy shiv to save on journeys for said DIY
7. Popping 2 dics doing items 5 and 6
8. crashing bikes

all of these have benefited from

a. New mattress, a firm one - it realy did help sort my back, but i think it's now doing the reverse and not helping with sleeping oddly.
b. My Sister - who's an expert physio/sports science type - who in her sibling love, loves nothing more than making me cry with some of her "moves" - some of the best of these were plank stretches raising things. Im told of constantly for still not stretching after exercise and for not improving my core strength.

on the pain meds thing, i got told in no uncertain terms to not rely on them at all as your body is trying to tell you something not's right. i do agree with this to an extent, and only really went against it if;

a. life depended on moving swiftly (see item 4)
b. had the luxury of not moving and just wanted releif from the pain.

Backs are crap, and why is it blokes suffer the most from/for them..?

There are so many things can can 'go wrong' with your back, what works for you might make it worse for someone else.

Keeping my core strong and stretching- particularly hamstrings, IT band, and the muscles down the side of my core (transverse abdominis?) help me. I get lazy, stop doing core stuff, and within a month or two... puff, my bad back returns!

core strength and the right stretches. These were provided by a sports orthopaedic physio, who spotted stuff the chiropracter failed. All they wanted to do was crack my neck and charge £30 for it over 10 weeks. The physio wanted to actually get me right and keep me right.

Backs are crap, and why is it blokes suffer the most from/for them..?

Apparently we were never designed to walk upright anyway, but I guess men are typically taller and heavier so more stress on the various structures?

@a11y if it's any use, your description kind of resonates with what happened to me. I've gone down the surgery route, but by the by I've had some varied experience with physios and chiropractics that might be useful.

Once I'd had the surgery on L4/L5 I went through some NHS physio, which was poor. Kept having twinges and in the end got re-referred to an NHS back care physio programme which happened to be staffed by a mountain biker. Everyone else in the group was about 70+ so he was quite happy to talk through what was happening to me! Anyway, he talked about cyclists being quite lazy with their core/tummy muscles. So what happens over time is that you become more reliant on your back muscles to stay upright.

So if you think about it, when you're doing anything, instead of working your core, you're using your (very strong) back muscles to do the work. And this is exacerbated by cyclists typically having tight hamstrings. So, when you suffer a "twinge" it's in your back. Chances are there's some underlying weakness/prolapse in there too, so what your brain does is remember the pain and put something in place to stop it happening/stop it getting worse.

The body's solution? Spasm. It locks your back muscles in response to a shock - putting pants on and getting a toe caught? Bit cold and picking something up that's heavy or too few away from your core? That sort of thing. Then you are fighting the symptom, but not the problem. In my case that means ibuprofen and physio to free up the spasm, then stretches and exercises until the body forgets. Then about a year later I'll get lazy and it starts again!

While the underlying condition is there, you'll still suffer from it. That's why preventative measures are so important, but it wasn't till I met that physio that I think I started to understand what my body and brain were doing. I also didn't understand what "core" was at the time. Sounds bizarre, but I just kind of assumed it was "tummy" muscles. Until you're actually shown what it means it is quite hard to grasp.

HTH.

Post surgery (L5/S1 disk tuck and associated vertebrae trim) the following has helped:
-Time
-Stretching - yoga etc
-Core exercise
-Mackenzie stretch
-Hydration (bulging disks are often dried out disks)
-Posture (both sitting and standing)
-Voltarol muscle relaxant for occasional flare ups
-Pedalling from the glute, not just from the quad. helps with the knees as well.

Assuming not a skeletal disorder (and even if so in most cases):

Core strength.

Core strength.

Core strength.

And if you can't work on it yourself - a metric eff-ton of Pilates classes.

What happened to me was, after a year or so of niggling lower back pain I seemed to wrench my back in July starting a petrol strimmer. I had also been doing online Pilates.
I had some physio until he said I really needed to see a specialist. I then went to see a Chiropractor who felt around and said he didn't want to manipulate me until I'd had an MRI.
The NHS booked one of those, but I also had to go to an NHS physio.
The NHS guy took one look at me and diagnosed that my forward lean was all down to poor core strength and gave me a bunch of exercises to do. All leaning back, twists and plank. This was despite having the MRI report on his desk.
Fortunately I had the sense to ignore him and 2 days later had a panicked call from a spinal surgeon who told me to come to the hospital straight away, nothing to eat or drink and come straight to the Major Trauma unit where a surgical team would be waiting for me. The next day I was operated on - 4 hours, he chipped little bits of bone from a vertebra to stop the nerves getting pinched, gently pushed my spinal cord out of the way so he could slice off a bit of the bulging L4/5 disc that was compressing it.
3 hours after waking up I was walking around the ward, upright and pain free for the 1st time in months. Next day, discharged, 10 days later a gentle ride on Cannock Chase. The op was late October, last week 3 good 2-3 hour bike rides (road and Follow the Dog) Online Pilates session and I'm feeling fine.
The surgeon said they whipped me in because he could see that one good sneeze might have me in a nappy for the rest of my life: if I'd have done the exercises I was given, I might struggle with walking.
Moral: everybody will give you advice: some of it isn't always that good. Get a proper diagnosis.

I've had lower back ache since around October 2019, sports massages and the osteopath improve it for a few days. Working from home at the dining room table hasn't helped either.

Trawling YouTube for various stretches and physio advice I found this last Wednesday and its worked a treat - the stretch around the 3 min mark,

I'd say its stetched my lower back /glutes / hamstring, my glutes and hamstrings do get tight from running. I feel like I've got a new lease of life and I don't start the day getting out of bed with the words 'My ****ing back'

https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/doctors-now-warning-sitting-new-3393908

Low back pain is like a religion, we all find our own solutions and I think if you just practice them frequently enough and believe in them, you'll probably find some benefit.

I say this as I now firmly believe that for most people, low back stretches not the ideal solution, you're just stretching a muscle which is already stressed and fatigued and just wants to relax!

I really liked this video actually which also (maybe, I'm off to experiment now) explains why all my hip flexor stretches have just contributed to a sore hip flexor instead of back pain relief, I've not been stretching the psoas apparently!

Also check out his 'aeroplane stretch', it's really satisfying to see such a simple move carried out in such a controlled manner, that guy must do a lot of yoga and/or pilates!

I'm generally leaving my low back alone from the point of view of stretching and strengthening, am now prioritising stretching and strengthening all around the low back so as to take the load of the sore muscles.

1-1 sessions with a good pilates instructor.

For me physio - I had unlike some of the above experiences the NHS physio I had was more effective that the private.

I do a lot of yoga now - proper classes where the teacher gives group and individual instruction and pulls you up when you are not doing it right. A mirror to see yourself really helps too - it's amazing how unbalanced you can be without realising it. The yoga really helps in that I materially regress when I'm not doing it. Fortunately my teacher is doing zoom under lockdown.

I also have to remember to do antagonistic exercise. Because my strength work is focused on climbing there is a real risk of overworking certain muscle groups and ignoring others so have to make sure I do oppositional stuff to get a balance.

Finally - good desk and chair set-up. I'm 6'3" so struggled with standard furniture, especially if desks are adjustable height - but I've got a high desk and a really good chair and home and that has helped over the last year

Maureen from Holmfirth,the only yoga class I know was frequented by brickies.

HÅG Capisco chair + sit/stand desk + monitor arm + don't crouch over a latpop keyboard.

Car seat - adjust if you can to have hips higher than knees

and more pilates

Posture, regular movement, not staying in one position too long.

Also a non-obvious tip, be sure to work on stretches on all the large muscles that aren't directly involved, as they'll be taking up the slack a bit when there's pain, getting tighter and contributing.

No magic fix though. Back pain for nearly 17 years here, and I'm not even 40...

The "keep moving" can be completely counter productive..until you know what's causing it you could be worsening it.

If the cause is, for instance, a leg length discrepancy walking could be making your lower back / back worse. However can't go wrong with ice and heat afaik.

See a physio, a good one. That's an important distinction. I went private and had 8-10 sessions some years back. End result lots of dry needling, shoe inserts and Pilates and haven't been near any back issues since. Continuous trigger pointing at home too.

Yoga. 15mins every day. And a bit if core work if the yoga sessions don’t do this.

But do it later on in the day when warmed up not first thing. I have problems at neck/thoracic junction and also in lumbar area. Yoga has improved the pain by about 90%

Also recommend abi carver. Her instructions are utterly clear.

Yoga- superman, cat, dog
Core work, front and back.

Mine was sorted by the musculoskeletal practitioner at our GP surgery (she also used to race XC, so lots of bike chat).
She basically told me never to visit a chiropractor again and that I had an inflamed disc. She gave me some exercises and told me to stand up or lie down for a fortnight.
She was spot on. Sorted me right out and now I have a standing desk at work which I can use when my back gets grumpy. Not had any reason to seek further treatment since 😃

After a brief perusal around IKEA and amazon, it’s got me thinking that maybe there’s a market for decent ottomans that are stable and comfortable enough to spend a few hours sitting on.

37 here.
Nurse for years with no back left from poor handling.

Me:
Bending at my knees when picking stuff up.
Keeping my back straight and not stooping.
Firm mattress.
Sleeping with a pillow between my legs.
Hot tub.
Weight loss (big difference for me)
Stretches.
Know your limits.

All that info they tell you in manual handling training is true. Just need to use it. .

Still suffer and I'm in pain daily but my back hasn't "gone" for a long time now I'm making an effort.

In all honesty, the main things to do with a lot of long term pain issues are to understand how pain works (i.e. pain does not always = harm or damage to the area that hurts), lose weight (if you are over weight), reduce stress, increase physical activity, find something that you feel works for you and that you like doing and keep doing it.

I have a PhD in physio, and have researched back pain for a number of years.

Unless you have neurological signs you don't need a scan (in fact the likelihood is a scan will make your pain worse) or an operation, you may benefit from some pain education programmes ('explain pain' by lorimer mosely and david butler is a go to in the field),  you may need to strengthen some muscles and stretch others (although this may or may not influence your pain), i personally believe pilates and yoga are beneficial (although the evidence doesn't support that), you should try to increase your activity levels as able.

Trying to pin pain to something biomechanical if you've had pain for longer than 3 months isn't too useful, as in the majority of cases the tissue injury will have healed, and so other mechanisms are likely to be at play.

Deadlifts, Strengthen those hamstrings & Lower back.

@Rich_s, thanks for writing about your experiences. And to many others here - unsure about the original poster but I'm taking a lot of notes from this for further research and practice.

I'm 6'1-ish and physio suggested part of the issue is simply my deskbound job. I got a raised-height (but not sit-stand) desk at work a couple of years ago and was lucky at the start of lockdown to acquire a basic Ikea manually adjustable sit-stand desk which has been great. Another small step which hopefully helps.

Find my lounge sofa pretty uncomfortable but I'm not one for sitting around much anyway. Still need to address that though.

Mattress - going to start the search but no idea where to start for a decent replacement.

And a biggie for me, sounds a small thing but should make a difference - gardening tools etc. I'm searching for longer/taller tools and/or shafts and handles to make life easier this year. Most stuff seems designed for midgets. I've put my taller snow shovel to great use the past few days with no negative effects on my back pain.

No magic fix though. Back pain for nearly 17 years here, and I’m not even 40…

Am beginning to believe this, I thought I was on top of my back problems and it's just crept up on me again and gradually getting worse.

It's hard not to blame riding (especially the turbo) but I think I've proven to myself in the past that riding really doesn't make it any better or any worse (OK, that one ride in the snow on the singlespeed at 50RPM might have been a bit silly).

Think I'll have a little codeine and Ibuprofen 'holiday' to take the edge off for a couple of days...