Interesting stuff. I suffered from acute lower back pain and fairly severe tendonitis for a few years and taking NSAIDs (ibuprofen, etc.) certainly didn't help much other than to relieve symptoms when they got particularly bad. That practice just led to one round of re-injury after another.<p>The long-term solution was to change some basic behaviors (never wear a backback while bicycling, use saddlebags instead, and always warmup before exercise), and I also started a very slow recovery program (i.e. about a year-long very steady-and-slow increase in exercise levels). I'm pretty sure a key component was the use of supplements for connective tissue development (glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, vitamin C) and bone development (calcium-hydroxyapatite and magnesium sources). However, thinking back, I also quit the NSAIDs (which were unnecessary as I always backed off the exercise whenever I felt the slightest twinge during the recovery period).<p>Nowadays, I just do continual light resistance training for back strength (basically frequent hiking with a well-balanced backpack), some relatively light gym workouts, and I've felt zero back pain for several years, and the tendonitis has also vanished, and I almost never take any NSAIDs (which I used to eat rather like candy). I still take that supplement mix (and I've tried going off it for a few months and had a notable increase in sore joints etc.) but now I wonder if quitting the ibuprofen was equally important.