My back pain started ~7 years ago and it was slowly getting worse and worse until a year and a half ago it got to the point that i could not move at all, was driven to a doctor and ended up getting a cortisone injection. My doctor told me then that stretching is the best cure. Been stretching since then and so far so good - it never goes completely away but at least I am functional. All it takes is 10 minutes a day.