I have a small miracle ball (bigger than a softball, not sure about diameter....prob about 5 inches) that I got from Amazon.com. I sit in a high back chair with the ball right on my spine so it pleasantly stretches the whole area.

Ice is my friend. I ususally have an ice pack on (6-20 hours a day) just to numb everything so I can't feel it as much. I like the liquid gel ones.

If your doc is not willing to prescribe pain meds (grrr...sending bad karma his way), would he at least be willing to prescribe a tens unit ? It really does help A LOT !