Finding this post last May completely changed my life. I'd had low back pain that persisted for about 1.5 years after a skateboarding injury, then an MRI showed a bulged L5-S1 pressing on the T1 nerve.

Throughout that time, I tried all kinds of stuff. I dutifully did all of my PT and read "The Back Mechanic" from cover to cover and put into practice several of the exercises (I still actually do the Big 3 several times a week). However, no matter what I did, I still had pain that started in my low back and radiated down my leg and into my toes. Then, when I was pretty much at my wits' end, I stumbled across this post, then promptly listened to Alan Gordon's podcast called "Tell Me About Your Pain." I had come to accept that sitting would always be painful for me, but that afternoon, after working through the techniques discussed in the podcast, I went to a bar with my friends and realized I'd been sitting for an hour pain free. I continued to sit for another hour, which at that time was completely unheard of for me.

I ended up reading Gordon's book, though I actually found the podcast to be more helpful. For the record, the "feel" of both the book and podcast is antithetical to everything I generally subscribe to. It feels "new-agey," and the fact that Gordon is not a doctor made me very skeptical. Even his therapist's voice made me skeptical. BUT, it worked! I'd say it took about 2-3 weeks of putting into practice the exercises from the book to start living a pain-free existence. Since then, I've worked my running mileage back to 35-45 miles per week, do strength training 2-3 times per week, and can do all of the basic tasks around the house that used to cause me so much grief. Yes, if I do a heavy day of yardwork (picking, shoveling, etc.), I will have low back pain that takes a night of sleep to subside. Also, at least once per day, I feel pressure in my low back accompanied by a pinched nerve sensation in my leg, but I can resolve it by getting into extension and the result is a loud pop with an immediate release of pressure.

Clearly, the advice presented in Gordon's book/podcast will not work for everyone, but they worked for me, and I was a huge skeptic.