[The problem with this is that he's blanket miserable, and just projecting it everywhere. Shoving his way through that to think objectively about back pain isn't an easy task for Alfie, who actually runs extremely emotional and temperamental- beyond what he puts on for show.]

It's following the usual pattern. Improving, I would say, now that I'm resting it, but more gradually than I would like, and it'll likely not return entirely to where it was, which wasn't good to begin with.