I fell off the roof 2 yrs ago and got TBI. Still have a balne problem, sleep on my side, on the couch.
You have my sympathy. I injured my back when I was 17 playing football.
I was young and full of vinegar, and thought that I could block a guy running full speed at me as I ran at him, assuming that I could get leverage and body position.
What my youthful mind failed to take into account was that he was very likely thinking the exact same thing, and since he outweighed me by a good 30 lbs...well, when two moving objects meet head on, the one with more momentum is going to win.
My spine probably shrunk a few inches in that second, and that was it.
I am lucky, though. If I don’t do anything physical at all, I can have stretches of time with fairly low pain. On the downside, I have stopped nearly all physical activities above walking or occasionally riding a bike.