I "tweaked" my lower back on my last flight about four days ago. In the past, within a day or two I was back to normal but I guess this back's not getting any younger and I'm still in quite a bit of discomfort. There are plenty of sitting positions that aren't painful but getting up is full of pain directly proportional to how long I was sitting.

I don't think I know the medical term for "tweaked" but I'm certain it was caused by about four hours of sitting in a window coach seat without getting up (I almost never do that!).

I've got a *very* long flight coming up, and I'm looking for any and all tips for getting through it with minimal back pain and lowest chance of re-injury/making it worse. Getting up as often and possible and gentle stretching goes without saying (here's hoping for no long taxiing delays!) and taking serious meds is out of the question due to where I'm going.

Please share your tips for avoiding/minimizing lower back pain when flying...

I had a similar problem a couple of days before departure on a RTW trip. Since I was facing so much time in aircraft seats (in J, mind you, but still...), I went to see my doctor. He gave me a muscle relaxant (Xanax?) and told me I'd basically have to do stretching exercises for the rest of my life. My case, at least, is a symptom of aging rather than any specific abuse. The pills and the exercises definitely improved the condition, but did not eliminate it altogether.

Between flights at the Seoul airport, I was able to get a 15 minute massage for $20. I don't particularly enjoy back massages and don't usually need them, but this one was way worth the money. After the massage I had no need for further medication.

I did continue the daily stretching exercises, and still do to this day.

Of course, your condition may be different, so YMMV.

I have the same thing happen every once in a while. It sucks and can completely ruin a trip. I believe (for me, at least, but your symptoms are spot on to what I experience) the pain is best alleviated with exercise, which sounds oxymoronic when you consider how hard it is to move. My best offense for getting out and moving around is a dose of something along the lines of hydrocodone. I find that after a day or so of simply walking around I'll feel better enough so I can stop medicating.

Xanax is a brain relaxant. You most likely either got Flexoril or Skelaxin which are muscle relaxants, both of which can cause extreme drowsiness (especially for me, for some reason), though less so with the latter. I may or may not take one before bed for a few days when I have an episode.

From where to where will you be flying? Or how long is your flight scheduled to be? "Very" long has different interpretations from different travelers in terms of how many hours it would be for him/her to be considered "Very" long?

Skelaxin didnt make me drowsy at all, would have been a bonus considering how badly I had injured my back
Valium is prescribed in the UK I have a pack but never dared take it as it has a bad reputation but I know of people for whom it has been a miracle (short term that is)
for a long flight, buy a beach ball or inflatable cushion that you can adjust to get comfortable,

I'd definitely consult your physician ASAP. When I herniated a disk prior to a transpac flight many years ago, I was given sodium naproxen (Alleve, but in prescription strength) and hydrocodone to help with the pain. I'm sure that you can get something similar, depending on what you've done to your back. That's what I'd find out first, though.

I actually use the stuff going transatlantic in Y. I've got some Flexoril left over from a whiplash episode years ago, ended up switching to another med at the time because of drowsiness, but at 10+ hrs in the air the drowsier the better as far as I am concerned. Slightly shorter flight, ibuprofen taken in advance and another one every few hours.

Aside from pills, make sure of good lumbar support - for me that means getting extra pillows from a friendly FA and stuffing them in my lower back. Inflatable lumbar pillows are hard to find but do exist - keep checking airport travel supply places.

you already mention moving around. In addition (just as when sitting at a desk) there are exercises you can do in your seat: rotate pelvis right to left, front to back (there should be online material on ergonomic guidelines for desk work).

and not to forget - recline your seat
(ducks and runs)

SFO-IAD-DXB and back. I think that qualifies as very long by pretty much anyone's definition...

Go see a chiropractor. A good one will fix you up with just one visit. And ice packs help too. Fix it before your next flight.

I had a herniated disk last year. This lumbar pillow has made a world of difference in coach.
http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Co.../dp/B00007FCJW

I use vicodin and flexeril, sometimes at the same time. The flight passes pretty uneventfully.

I'm with eeee. I do long plane trips heavily sedated - Vicodin and Xanax do the job well.

And although the DXB website mentions all the medications they do not allow (including narcotics and benzos), I have never had them even checked by the airport authorities their. I do carry all my meds in their original labeled prescription bottles, along with an ID card and a doctor's letter explaining why the treatments are necessary for my diagnosis. They have never requested to see that either.