I respectfully and wholly disagree. Last year, I had a sudden back spasm, worst pain of my life! After a week of that, went to dr, had an x-ray and it showed Degenerative Disc Disease, very common in older people. Dr said we can do surgery (No), shots (No), or physical therapy. I chose the PT.
It was like magic! Within a week, I was able to walk without pain. Gentle stretches with strengthening exercises. I continued to do them at home. Have gotten lazy and the back pain is chronic but not as bad. I know if I went back to doing it, it would be better and I would be much stronger. It's on my list of things to do this month, when the work on the house is finished.