Chris, sorry for all the health stuff y'all have going on. It will get better. I second the Osteo-BiFlex as a great joint protector. I have been taking it for several years and it flat out works. It takes about a month or so to kick in, but it works.
I have chronic back issues myself. I have been through chiropractic, massage, stretching exercises, trigger point injections, nerve blocks -- everything but surgery. Nothing helped. THEN -- I bought an inversion table. Picked it up at Sports Authority for about $150.00 new. I use it 4 times a week for about 5 minutes each. My back has never felt better......