brucen32

Hi:

A doctor once diagnosed me with a bulging disk in my lower back and ever since then I have had pretty standard lower back pain off and on for about 10 years. I have read that tight hamstrings are often a cause for lower back pain. This kinda makes sense since tight hamstrings will pull on the lower back when you are sitting and prevent you from maintaining a natural small arch and result in slouching. I can't touch my toes and when I try to sit cross-legged on the floor I have to lean back with my arms on the floor behind my back. So I'm pretty sure I have very tight hamstrings. I have tried to stretch my hamstrings either by lying on the ground keep my back flat against the floor and
slowly pulling my legs up with a towel till I feel a stretch. I've also tried just standing and putting a leg on a table and tried to touch my toes. Regardless of the method I use, I find that within a few hours to a day later, after the hamstring stretches, I start to feel that familiar lower back pain again (usually on one side) that radiates down one of the legs. Does anyone know why this happening? I thought it was good to have flexible hamstrings, yet when I try make them flexible
I get back pain. What should I do?

Thanks,
Bruce