lower back issues

I've just found this website and am thinking of taking the class when it's offered here in New York in the fall. I have a couple of different issues with my lower back, but the main one is this: when I exercise (run or even walk for a long time), my lower back begins to ache and stiffens up. I then feel a need to bend forward and stretch my back, causing several vertebrae to pop! This actually loosens things up and thinks generally feel better, but clearly something is amiss. I also have some mild sciatica. I was diagnosed a few years ago with an L5-S1 herniated disk. I've also been told I have a leg length discrepancy, although others have said, no, it's not my legs, it's something to do with my pelvis! Who knows. My question is this: is learning this method likely to help me? I'd really like to be able to run without feeling that I'm doing my back harm.

Apologies for the over-long post. Thank you!

It sounds like the way you exercise threatens your spine to some degree. Your body then tries to protect itself by stiffening up the area, which can be protective but also has its own downside. The popping sound is similar to when you uncork a bottle - the vertebrae separate sufficiently to cause a vacuum to develop, following which air rushes into the vacuum making a popping sound. The restored separation and mobility feel good, but you don't want to make a habit of this cycle. Bending forward to pop your back can be risky for the spinal discs. What you really want is to not threaten your spine when you exercise.

Sciatica can be caused by numerous factors, the most common of which are compression of the sciatic nerve or sciatic nerve roots either by spinal discs, portions of the vertebrae or tight muscles.

In all the above cases, learning to restore natural architecture and movement patterns usually gets to the root of the problem.