Proper stretching. Isometric type stretching is the quickest way to gain flexibility. Lack of flexibility and strength of muscles is the main cause of back mis alignment.

Blood enzymes can also be used to tear town and rebuild damaged tissues. Along with large doses of OPC's antioxidants.

Me and many of my friends have been through this.All i can tell you is we still have all the bad discs and we have no pain and i can carry you or your father to the end of my street. If your father has a shred of an open mind get him "Healing back pain " by Sarno (head of orthopdcs at NY Univ.) Barnes and noble has it or can order it in paperback($10). This is the situation that lead to the largest revelational learning experience of my life (58 yrs.) Everyone who is interseted in their own health should read it.

Once I bought an inversion table I figured out that most of those lower back issues are intestinal based. My back issues where minimal but my Dad's where worse and the inversion table helped this.

Calcium or actually the lack of magnesium to stop the calcification process is another issue you may want to look into.

A third one is flukes and larva entering the spinal cord. If large doses of Methylcobalamin (B12) help then that would be another thing to look into.

JAB is also right on, stretching and keeping limber are good but most likely difficult so try an inversion table from Walmart. If it doesn't work you can always return it.

I agree with the magnesium we are short on it in this country, you can't get calcium to work if you don't have mag. horsetail, rutin, msm, glucosamine, chondroiten