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@unharmed
I'm a in a similar boat to you, Mac. I'm 6'8" and paranoid about trying to avoid long-term back (and knee to a lesser extent) problems. My dad's about the same height as me and his back is fucked. I had quite a few problems with mine when I was younger and I have come to believe quite strongly that the best way to avoid these problems is to strengthen the muscles that surround and support the areas you're worried about. For me that means squats and deadlifts specifically and I also press and do bent-over rows.
If you've done 5x5 in the past I'm sure you're all over this but I think us taller lads in particular need to be absolutely strict with our technique and bracing when we lift. I tweaked my back a couple of times doing squats before I figured out the breathing and how to stabilise my core properly.
That being said, our technique might also vary a little from 'normal'. For instance, I find it extraordinarily difficult to do Olympic-style squats but powerlifting-style (wide stance, feet angled out, bar low on my traps) work much better with my frame and I can get much more depth this way. Similarly I do sumo deadlifts rather than traditional ones.