Hi, I am just trying to figure out what is going on with my back? For a few months now my lower back has been in a lot of pain, so much so that I can t really bend down. I m 24 years old. When I cough, I get a shooting pain right in my lower back in the same spot. A couple years back, I randomly woke up one day and couldn t walk or even get up for 3 days. Apparently I had a pinched nerve. I m just afraid that might happen again. What can I do to stop this pain and to strengthen my back? I m scared to try cracking it and I don t know what to do. I don t want to make it worse. I have taken ibprophien and have used muscle cream but they do not help.