Those are for when you have compressed disk or degenerative disk disease. If you don't know you have that I don't think it is a good idea. I have a brother in law that uses one but he prefers his stretches for his degenerative disk problem. I don't have that problem it is myofascial pain syndrome or a trapped nerve.
mkh9
Thanks for the feedback. I hear a lot about those back pain machines that help you hang yourself head down (to supposedly releive the tension) and they have great opinions (on amazon). Anyone tried these?
A great help against back pain is acupressure. Try Iplikator, the acupressure mat, it is really effective (based on acupuncture), it heats the zone, makes the blow flow, and relieves pain. I use it every morning as I wake up, and it really helps to start the day with no pain.
Check it out at dolorfree.com/en (or just google it)
Good luck
Have you had a MRI yet? It might be good to see if there is any spinal issue. If not I actually have had similar problem as you in that it has been 2 years (although I was reinjured twice by physical therapists) since I have had LBP. It is in the buttock area for me and I can't bend or cross my left leg over the right while sitting, so I can't tie my shoes either or put my pants on because of both. The best thing for me has been walking and once I got up to about 40 minutes my doctor said to walk hills (because I wouldn't go back to another PT). THe hills took the small injuries I was getting away because it strengthened my back. Read Walk it off by Dr. Brown. Anyway, you should try to get diagnosed. Have you seen an orthopedic surgeon (not for surgery)? I was on Flexeril too for 9 months it worked for about 2 weeks and that is it. So, the more you get moving but in slow increments don't overdo it. Slow steady progress is better than hurting too much. The goal is to get to an hour of fast walking. I started with only 5 minutes and it took a long time to get to an hour. I don't walk fast yet though. But I have found I can reach a litte further etc. So, try to diagnose the problem if you can. If not the book I mentioned does have a check list of different types of pain and what type of pain you may have. If it is nerve pain you could try neurontin or lyrica etc. depending on your situation. I was on pain meds when it was acute pain for about a month but I couldn't take them very long due to the side effects. I tried these and neurontin didn't help at all. I tried accupunture and biofeedback and the biofeedback helped with anxiety. The accupunture only helped once in a great while. It is different for everyone though. I also tried a cortisone injection in the general area where the pain was and it only worked for a day. I don't know how focal your pain is but you can try that as well. If you have any questions feel free or you can message me anytime.
take care,
mkh9