Q: I am 27 year old. I am very active in cycling and martial arts. I have persistent pain in my lower back, around the tail bone. It has always been there and I have got used to it. But lately it has become worse. Can anything be done to ease the pain? Pain killers are not effective in my case; they stop working after 1-2 weeks. I have tried heat, liniments and ice but nothing seems to help. I had an accident while riding a horse when I was 14. I was thrown off the horse and landed on a rock on my back. At that time I thought it was just a bruised muscle. The following year, I went to a physician because my lower back was still hurting. Now it feels as if its popping and grinding. After the initial x-rays the doctor said that I had fractured the L1-L2 and compressed the L3. He wasn't sure as to why was I still able to walk. After 3 years of continuous physiotherapy and pain killers my back started feeling better. Please advise.

A:It is important that you do not sit on a hard surface for a long time. Avoid travelling on a two wheeler, jeep, bus, etc, so as to avoid jerks to the tail bone. Sitting in a tub of luke warm water for abut 15 minutes, twice a day could also help and so may some techniques employed by physiotherapists.