I did physical therapy for a while just suffered through it. Eventually, it got to the point where I was always looking for something to lean against while I was out to get some relief. I eventually decided to go under the knife for a spinal fusion. Pretty much instant relief.

Some months after the surgery, I went fishing and then on a rather long hike. During the hike, I developed back pain like I'd never felt before. I was certain I'd pulled some screws loose. It was the worst pain I'd been in even before the surgery. It lasted weeks. Eventually I was able to get back to the doctor. X rays showed a perfectly fused spine and no broken hardware. The doctor told me I was experiencing back spasms and that I simply pushed too hard without building my core up yet.

So yes, it may very well be both. Biggest advice I have to give is to stretch your hamstrings. When mine are tight, I have back pain. When they are loose, I'm usually good. I've also added in a bi weekly deep tissue massage. Not sure I really need it, but I'm pain free 98% of the time.

Edit:
From my experience, Spondy pain was directly related to my L5 slipping and rubbing against my L4. Kind of a dull grinding pain that is worse when standing. What led me to surgery was that I was experiencing nerve damage in my left leg. So much so that I was lifting my leg with my hands when getting in the car.

Soft tissue pain for me is intense and doesn't go away no matter what position you're in. As we speak, I'm going through pain I think largely related to my iliopsoas. Deep tissue massage and stretching makes immediate improvements, but I have to stay on it.

I used to have a lot of lower back pain as well as straining muscles in my mid/lower back quite often. I got into hot yoga (vinyasa), along with my normal HIT and weight training and all the back issues have gone away over the past year. I honestly think it is the stretching and increased flexibility I am getting from yoga which is helping. Maybe worth a shot?

Would agree with getting into a yoga regimen myself. I run a lot and have always thought my body was in good shape. Found out that my body is in good running shape but when it came to really stretching, really stretching, not just bending over a few times before I run, there were places I couldn't bend at all. After doing yoga 4-5 times a week, a lot of issues have either been cleared up or are clearing up. I've even been able to lengthen my running stride a few inches which means I am taking bigger steps.

I've had lower back pain (almost down at my tailbone) since I was in high school. Pregnancy made it worse, but it was always something I could cope with, as long as I wasn't standing for long periods of time (standing was even worse than walking).

This past year, the pain became worse, and I felt it pretty much every day. I also had diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles). After a series of events and some research on my part, I opted to have abdominoplasty to bring my abdominal muscles back together. After surgery, my doctor said my separation was about 2-3 inches.

I'm just over four weeks out from my surgery, and my back pain is completely gone. It's amazing. I haven't felt this good in years.

Even though diastasis recti is commonly caused by pregnancy or extreme weight gain, there are some people whose muscles never come together. And even though it's more common in women, it can affect men.

There are some specific exercises you can do to try and naturally heal your abdominal muscles. This wasn't working for me, so I opted for surgery. But, I think they are definitely worth a try for anyone suffering from lower back pain. A Google search will bring up various programs. I used one called MommaStrong, which was created by a woman in Houston. Traditional ab exercises do not heal DR, and in some cases can make it worse.

Guitarsoup said:

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Airrosti helped mine a ton. Depends what the source is, really.

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Ok, gotta go +1 for Airrosti. After four months he pretty muck licked it in a week. I really think doing the stretching / rolling / twice daily was a big factor.

I noticed Sunday night (day 5 post initial visit) that I had zero pain. That was after six hours of training this weekend. Monday had limited pain (1-2), Tuesday was pretty much zero all day. Until I went to my second appointment with him. That dude borderline makes me cry, but in the best of ways. Back to minimal pain today, but I think it's mainly soreness from the session yesterday. Hip is feeling super loose.

He said one final session this Friday and then he'll cut me loose. At this point I'll likely keep my pain management appointment for the injection on 1/31 just to establish myself with him. But if I continue pain free for the next week I'll probably nix the injection for now.