Then I did a little research and found a YouTube video that recommended muscle exercise instead of rest, using torsion bars. I bought those and did the exercises for a few weeks. Pain went away and hasn't returned.
Chronic pain is culturally dependent, some countries have a lot of RSI, some don’t. Chronic neck pain from whiplash is a bigger deal in some places or in some decades than others.
If you give an X-ray to some one with chronic back pain a certain percentage of them will show bulging disks. If you give X-rays to a random group of people of the same demographics a similar percentage of them will show bulging disks, with no correlation to back pain.
The Tyler method you used for golfers elbow is a different example of a a rethink in treating other types of pain. It does have a plausible mechanism that runs counter to the traditional treatment, and it probably works as explained, encouraging healing and tissue remodelling through increased exercise-induced inflammation from eccentric reps. But… it’s also plausible that the quality of the paper describing it and the thrill of counter-knowledge helps make it work even better.
Obviously people should watch out for the signs of common chronic diseases, but in my experience I get far more aches and pains when being less active. Going to the gym once or twice a week and doing some compound exercises will help vastly, even after just a few weeks of regular exercise.
Oh, and get a good chair if you are sitting a lot, it's definitely worth it.