in terms of accumulating a statistical sample of anecdotal data, I'm in the control group for "didn't pursue any particular "cure", and I got better; guess I learned to manage it". I tell my story not because it's interesting but because you might think "I'm better, yoga did it" and I'm better and I didn't do yoga.
In the past (starting in my mid-20's) I have had a number of episodes of very severe backpain, several times on the order of "can't stand up" for a week at a time. A handful of times (each independently) have been given Flexeril or cortisone shot or NSAIDs or mild opioids.
Mostly I've learned to recognize the early twinges of pain and I immediately switch to "being more careful about bending over" and how I sleep etc. and I'm able to not get into an acute situation.
I don't do yoga, work out, etc. I manage my weight by dieting and I'm not fat, more in the dad-bod category of "people with a slight amount of extra weight have better health outcomes from surgery, severe illness, etc".
Running on the daily makes my back hurt, and I can't "run through it", it keeps getting worse. I stopped trying to run on the daily. Twisting playing tennis makes my back hurt. I stopped playing tennis. Shoveling heavy snow makes my back hurt. I still shovel snow from time to time, immediately afterward I pop 3 ibuprofen and relax my back, and repeat if I feel stiffness the next day. Popping ibuprofen at the first sign of stiffness to "get ahead of it" seems to work, but who knows, I'm not conducting trials.
That's all I take ibuprofen for, and I average fewer than 1 ibuprofen a week. I might have a few days of bad back every five years now, and usually because I did something stupid like agree to help somebody move.
In the past (starting in my mid-20's) I have had a number of episodes of very severe backpain, several times on the order of "can't stand up" for a week at a time. A handful of times (each independently) have been given Flexeril or cortisone shot or NSAIDs or mild opioids.
Mostly I've learned to recognize the early twinges of pain and I immediately switch to "being more careful about bending over" and how I sleep etc. and I'm able to not get into an acute situation.
I don't do yoga, work out, etc. I manage my weight by dieting and I'm not fat, more in the dad-bod category of "people with a slight amount of extra weight have better health outcomes from surgery, severe illness, etc".
Running on the daily makes my back hurt, and I can't "run through it", it keeps getting worse. I stopped trying to run on the daily. Twisting playing tennis makes my back hurt. I stopped playing tennis. Shoveling heavy snow makes my back hurt. I still shovel snow from time to time, immediately afterward I pop 3 ibuprofen and relax my back, and repeat if I feel stiffness the next day. Popping ibuprofen at the first sign of stiffness to "get ahead of it" seems to work, but who knows, I'm not conducting trials.
That's all I take ibuprofen for, and I average fewer than 1 ibuprofen a week. I might have a few days of bad back every five years now, and usually because I did something stupid like agree to help somebody move.