Is that PMon's pipe on the ground in front of him? Looks like he likes big pipes, too.
Re your back, I think I mentioned that a local acupuncturist cured 30 years of my chronic back pain (caused by jumping out of not-quite-landing choppers in VN) in three treatments. If you have an acupuncturist in your area, you might give it a try. Maybe a re-settled Vietnamese doc? It's the only thing that brought me permanent relief, and I had tried EVERYTHING.