You never heard my testimonial about Yoga??????? Heh... I rave about what it did for me and my back pain.
I still have back and neck issues, but it isn't even 1/10th what it was many years ago. It was awful......debilitating......at times it was the kind of pain that causes some people to consider taking *extreme* measures.
I started doing 30 minutes of mild (easy stretching kind) Yoga everyday......following a DVD. I eventually purchased about six of the DVDs in the series (will include a link later). I did try classes, but I just *really* like doing something that therapeutic and soothing in the privacy of my home; it didn't feel as good being with strangers.
Along with the Yoga, I switched to what I called my Food Pyramid diet (eating only what was recommended for me by the government's Food Pyramid. The most difficult change I made at the same time (turned out to be the best) was drinking anywhere from 50-70 ounces of water each day.
Somewhere along the way, I dropped about 20 pounds, quit having sinus infections and bronchitis, and was almost pain-free in my lower back. I remember getting in the shower at the start of the day, bending down to turn on the water, and realizing........I had just BENT over to turn over the water!!!
I could only ever squat to do those things. I had to lean on the counter when rinsing after brushing my teeth; I got on my knees to make the bed because I couldn't bend over; and I had to squat when I went to turn on the shower water.
The combination of chiropractic and Yoga was my miracle drug!
Linus, as long as there aren't any nerve issues that might be aggravated, I just can't recommend gentle Yoga on a daily basis highly enough. It gave me strength, comfort, and sanity. I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true.
I wish the same result for you!
Here's a link to the DVD I started with from the Yoga Zone series.
Amazon.com: Yoga Zone - Yoga Basics for Beginners: Yoga Zone, Koch: Movies & TV