I think once you've had it, it sadly seems to keep returning at some point. Of course, it never comes on through trying to lift something heavy but rather stupid things when you just twist the wrong way. Apart from making it extremely difficult to get comfortable in bed at night it also ends up with me seeming to limp around so it looks like its my leg playing up rather than my back! Mine also used to seem to get worse November time when the weather started to get colder/damper.

The trick is to invest in a decent mattress and, most importantly, to try to keep mobile so it starts to free up. You may need to rest it for a brief time but lying in bed wont help and I found it only made matters worse. In fact, I found it better to lie on the floor than in bed with a small pillow or cushion under my back for support and knees raised to relieve the pressure. Best thing I did that helped was to start to do some gentle tai chi exercises which also seems to have helped prevent it re-occurring. Touch wood, haven't had a bad bout for a while now but I know it can be bloody painful.