About 15 years ago, I had a major work related back injury and was in a wheel chair for 9 months. Eventually I had two back surgeries, on L4-L5-S1. I started with pool therapy, just walking across a pool and doing crunches at the corner of the pool. One of the best things I did was to purchase an incline table. Hanging upside and doing crunches on the incline table really helps. I also purchased a home gym, that focuses on cables as I was unable to lift free weights at the start. I typically focused on slow controlled movements with the cables. I had to learn alternative movements that would not tweak my back. For example, for rows I strap myself down to the bench, using a lifting belt and then pull the bar to my chest. Do leg crunches while hanging from a pull-up bar. Muscle in the back and core helps the spine to stay stable. Four months after the surgeries I could barely walk across the house. Eventually I walked one block and then a mile, and now I routinely walk three miles, and even HIIT jog within limits. I suggest time off, pool therapy, the inversion table and the alternative cable workouts. I suggest getting a tens unit (electricity pads), it really helps the back muscles to relax. Unfortunately I know how much it sucks, but hang in there and I hope you do better with the patience thing than I did. Patience was not one of my strong points, but trust me, you can get through this with some patience.
