My brother had pretty bad back pain, went to see a doctor about it. Then he lost about 25 pounds, and is slim and fit now, and zero back issues.

I occasionally get back pain when I over-exert my back, usually from lifting things improperly. Same thing - sharp pain in the lower back. If I don't let it heal, it'll recur easily.

The worst time was when I was about 22 or so. I was in exceptional shape - training in tae kwon do and preparing for full contact tournaments. I was in fighting shape, not a stitch of fat on me. Then one morning while shaving, I turned and reached for a towel and I suddenly fell to the floor in excrutiating pain. I had somehow torn some muscles in my back. No idea how/why. Probably from over-training. I couldn't walk for a day, couldn't run for about a month and in total, it took me about six months to get back to normal. I went from feeling near-invicible (in terms or energy and fitness) to feeling like I was 90 years old.

It's a debilitating condition, that's for sure.

Massages and stretching help once things have healed properly. After that - keeping fit and lifting properly are important. If you sit a lot during the day, posture and a good chair are critical. Meds can help with the pain and inflammation, but don't really address the underlying condition.

All IMHO...

__________________
Chris
2007 E550 4Matic - 61,000 Km - Iridium Silver, black leather, Sport package, Premium 2 package
2007 GL450 4Matic - 62,000 Km - Obsidian Black Metallic, black leather, all options
1998 E430 - sold
1989 300E - 333,000 Km - sold
1977 280E - sold
1971 250 - retired

"And a frign hat. They gave me a hat at the annual benefits meeting. I said. how does this benefit me. I dont have anything from the company.. So they gave me a hat." - TheDon