Hi Jenny. A bad back can drag one down so badly - it somehow impacts at a very basic level.
It's not like I have any very great gifts, but I too went through (am probably now just exiting) a long period of chronic illness which included bad lower back trouble.
In my case I'm fairly sure that my issues arose from a major conflict between my conditioning (which was harsh, business and conventional success oriented, and which led to my commencing a moderately high powered but heartless business career) and my true self which is much more emotional, empathetic and value driven - with a deep interest in spirituality, an urge to help others and to understand what life is about when looked at more deeply. I was basically blanking or suppressing the urges of my heart. There were also scars to do with parental relationships and apparent reverses in conventional life which seemed to affect me more deeply than most.
It's taken approaching twenty years of quite serious illness, reading and meditation to eventually wake up - to start to see myself for what I am.
Finding my new path is another matter - it's the big issue in my life at present. But it's slowly coming together, and the important thing is that there's light and love everywhere.
My health issues have taken a mixture of medical, alternative and spiritual work (lots of meditation) to get under control. One of the most spectacular events was connecting with the reality of some of the mental scars in meditation - over a couple of years it triggered several smaller and then a huge emotional melt down and release which not only ended my back pain but dramatically improved my posture too. Quite remarkably so, and despite the fact that it came after surgery and many years of pain.
It seems we often carry psychic scars in the body.
I started with a spiritual healer, moved on to using a programme called 'The Journey' by Brandon Bays which is designed to access issues buried in the consciousness with the last major release happening at a Monroe Inst Gateway programme.
Not sure how, but I'd a first day of the latter programme struggling with literally pain and what felt like a blockage in the solar plexus area - and not having much success. On the second I got down deep enough to start getting some communication. A very much loved old black and white tom cat from my childhood (who very often felt like my only friend) strolled into my space and approached me - I reached out to grasp him and the result was what felt like an emotional explosion from the heart chakra and melt down.
Lots of kundalini meditation and chakra work since has helped raise my vibe and open me up energetically as well. And it's ongoing.
From what I read it's not unusual for people who are more sensitive or who have gifts to struggle with illness - usually as a result of a conflict between what they were conditioned to think by parents/society and the like and their deeper instincts.
A good example of this was a very well known English medium named Betty Shine
http://website.lineone.net/~enlightenment/betty_shine.htm who suffered serious illness in her early life which magically disappeared when she woke to and started to use her gifts. She tells how it happened and why in the book which is her life story.
One small book I got a lot of insight and help from is 'Soul Purpose - Discovering and Fulfilling your Destiny' by Mark Thurston. Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks. It's a compilation of readings by the very famous Edgar Cayce
http://www.edgarcayce.org/ , but includes very profound insights into why it's required and why failing to hear the inner voice can lead to problems as well.
I'm not too sure if it helps, but maybe there might be something to be gained in working through some of this ground. A good spiritual healer, hypnotherapist or the like might help with insight. If you have real problems arising out of relationships there are those who work on breaking unhealthy ties.
Just try some things - i didn't have a clue where I was going at first, but was led to what I needed. But you should listen to your heart, and then act and keep on acting.
I'm sure there's other here who can suggest good books or advise courses of action that may help too.
Good luck, and pardon the length. I'm sure it'll work out for you. It's at it's worst when you are at bottom and there's not much light showing yet.....