The first goal of physical therapy is to calm the pain. If the pain is too great to work with therapy, then time, medicatons or selective root blocks need to be ordered by your physician before physical therapy can be successful. "Core Stabilization" is best taught by a physical therapist, but uses the concept of using your abdominal and back musculature to protect your spine. Once the position on the spine that relieves the pain is achieved, then the focus of treatment is to stabilize the spine in that position for all exercises.

Once the pain is controlled and spine control is restored, then rehabilitation is begun. Spine exercise is divided into four parts. Before exercise, you need to warm up. Hot pads, steam rooms or hot showers can be used for five to ten minutes. Some people combine the next step of stretching with warm ups. My favorite back stretches are flexing knee to chest, gentle trunk rotation while lying down, hamstring, neck and shoulders stretches. 

After the warm up and stretching, a balance of aerobic training and stength training is recommended.

 

Aerobic Training is anything of a consistent stress for 20 or more minutes.  This should keep your heart rate above 110 beats per minute, higher if you are younger.  This level of activity should make you perspire.  Three to four times weekly or more will provide a benefit.  The benefit of aerobic training is cardiovascular and muscle endurance.  Medically, this stress releases blood factors, cytokines, that repair and renew cellular damage in blood vessels, muscles and other body tissues.  Strength training with 15 to 20 reps with light weights can be carefully done, but really needs the supervision of a trainer to be safe and individual to the patient's abilities