DEAR DR. GOTT: I am 62 and have two bulging discs in my lower back that caused me really bad sciatic pain. I had to get an injection in my spine every six months. I can’t remember what they called it but it is the one that they watch on the TV screen when they put it in you.

In looking for help, I ran across a website that is run by two men who work with professional athletes when they get hurt.

I do a very simple exercise. I sit on the front edge of a chair and bend forward, grab my legs at the back of the calves and stretch my spine as far as I can. One day when I was in a lot of pain, I tried the exercise and it seemed to ease a little. I did the stretch four more times that day and by the next morning when I got up I was not in pain anymore. [Read more...]