Yes, ice packs are good, too.. but ice massages! When the pain is so bad that even 30 seconds of relief is a bonus... that's when the ice massage comes forth.

No surgery for me, either, until they figure out what they are doing. (I mean, 25 years ago I guessed they needed to replace the disks, not put steel rods in or remove the disks.)

I'm thinking that as a child you heard a story from family chatting...about someone who got a spine problem.. maybe? TC