Huge curve in spine

Well..this isn't for me.

My boyfriend puts his back out at least once a month but it has lately been happening more and more often. Three years ago it only happened three times in the first year.

He usually puts it out after coughing even slightly or he just wakes up that way.
i've got some pictures somewhere from a year ago...but this time his back is super curved and you don't have to be looking at him from the back or directly on his spine to see how his whole upper body is displaced. The lower half of his back/spine looks like this )but even more of a curve and the upper part of the spine is still straight.

What could this be? What can we do to alleviate his pain...advil....motrin and most hot/cold rubs or wraps have stopped working on the pain.

Going to the doctor is out of the question for at least the next two months while Alberta Health Care finally figure out how a Canadian born and albertan lifer had their number canceled.