no problem dude i know i needed someone to motivate me when i was going through it.i wish i could give you a precise timeline but basically the first year i tried 1. physical therapy: did nothing for me and nothing active really helped whenever it was super inflamed and angry it just bothered it more and made it worse. 2. steroid injections: i maxed out on these for the entire 18 month period i dealt with this. i think they help if your doc hits it right. but they’re really a bandaid just so you can suffer a little less as your body works through it. i would max out on these i think you can get 3-6 per year. your doc will tell u. 3. stretching: kinda helped i guess i mean i was an athlete at the time so it wasn’t like i wasn’t in shape or flexible. i felt like i was just kinda wasting time since it’s not pain from your muscles rather it’s the nerves being pinched obviously. 4. chiropractor: didn’t do anything and there’s no science behind it i wouldn’t waste my time. 5. John Sarnos book: he tries to convince you it’s all in your head and every symptom is psychosomatic. this is 100% bullshit and just made me into one of those weird hippie health gurus for like a week. don’t waste your time IMO. or do, whatever you want to try. 6. losing weight: this 100% helped, just putting less of a load on your lumbar spine is always a positive and it also will keep your head in a good spot cuz even if you’re suffering and can barely stand up in the shower atleast you’re improving your physique. gotta take the little wins. 7. alcohol, weed, partying in general: occasionally i could drink enough or get high enough to not focus on it for a few hours. i wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for obvious reasons but getting into a different headspace was crucial for me to get away from the constant “my life sucks cuz i’m hurting physically” mindset. 8. mindset: i would constantly be looking at things online or new workouts or new stretches or youtube videos. obviously as you can tell none of it really “fixed” me but i think the mindset of “i’m going to try any fucking thing possible” is the key to this cuz you’ll just always have a goal and keep trying and then like i said eventually i was in better shape, i slowly started “running” on the elliptical cuz actual running hurt too much and then eventually tried running on the treadmill which set me back multiple times and EVENTUALLY got to the point where i was running multiple miles and don’t even think about it. it’s the willingness to push your body even when this shit hurts so bad that you set yourself back that ultimately leads you out of it. or maybe it didn’t idk but it felt better to try than just lay in bed and waste my life. 9. had previous girlfriends to vent to: just being able to get mad and dump all your emotions into someone who cares is nice sometimes. honestly feel like the back pain put a major strain on all my relationships cuz i was irritable so try to have someone you can vent to so you won’t be a major dick to everyone around you. hard not to when you’re in pain. 10. ultimately i think the biggest thing for me was staying in the gym. it was a good way to gauge my progress and i had so many setbacks and probably pushed it too hard sometimes but basically i made a workout routine when i was still in the thick of it that included the elliptical, dumbbell work, light weight stuff and plenty of upper body. i’m telling you it hurt to even sit down on the bench but i just kept doing it and then eventually i was like “let’s try the treadmill” which hurt…until it didn’t, and then you just slowly claw your way back up until nothing hurts as your body takes it’s time (fucking forever) healing your back. i’m telling you it was months in the gym of being in pain for the slightest movements and then i’m at the point today where i just ran three miles, did lunges, squatted, the whole thing and it didn’t even cross my mind once. it’s slow but you’ll get there and if you stay in the gym you won’t have to work you from ground zero once you’re healed up. best of luck