I'd been more or less demobilzed for 18 years. I couldn't walk very far or stand, etc. But I found a book called Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Curing Cronic Pain--by Pete Egoscue.
I had also found another book called Stretching by Bob Anderson.
I did all the Egoscue poses until the pain disappeared, and then I started do the stretches in STretching--which I like because the poses he shows are the beginning yoga poses. (There's also a lot more than that); And then I graduated to Rolfing. My wife and I were Rolfed, and it's the best money we ever spent.
But whenever I have any back pain, I go back to Egoscue--and then do my stretches.