When I was 25 I was rear-ended after stopping suddenly for traffic in front of me. I was in my Chevy Blazer, and the sedan that hit me was going about 35 MPH. The car submarined under my bumper and hit the spare tire. Most of the energy of the collision was absorbed by my spare tire and by his car, which was totaled. I saw the driver with his head in the passenger footwell, apparently looking for something and put maximum force on the brake pedal to try to keep from striking the car in front of me. This may not have been the best way for me to avoid injury although it undoubtedly prevented the car in front of me from being damaged and may have prevented significant injury to its occupants.

The back problems I'd had since my early teens became dramatically worse; I was barely able to walk. I was sent for an MRI, and a top neurosurgeon told me that I had "a pretty good-looking spine for a 65 year old". I reminded him that I was 25, and he allowed as how he knew that.

Chiropractic, stretching, running, bicycling, strengthening my abdominal muscles and losing about forty pounds all seem to have contributed markedly to my improvement. The sciatica rarely returns and only does so briefly.

Even if I were some form of medical professional I wouldn't know what would work for you. Keep pressing on until you figure out what does work.