herniated disk

I know my mother had a herniated disk in her back and has had three back surgeries in all. I'm not sure exactly where hers is, but she does go to the doctor alot. She is still able to work 40 hours a week now since the last surgery was probably about 8 years ago. It does still stiffen up on her at times when it's rains but that's normal. Just be sure to do your exercises and keep it loose

That's a little higher than my herniations which are at L4-L5 and L5-S1. These are the levels that cause what is commonly termed "sciatica" and the pain involves not only my back but my legs. I haven't had injections and I declined surgery. Some days it is better than others. What I have found is that a lot of factors influence how I am feeling. The weather, my weight, my activity level, etc... The particularly bad patch I was going through that led to the MRI that found these disks lasted about 3 months. Since then, I have had two or three bouts of pain that weren't nearly as bad. Definitely try physical therapy and exercise to begin with, it's always better to try the conservative approach first. There is surgery, of course, and some do microsurgery that leaves you immobilized a much shorter period of time post-surgery. Years ago, there were a lot of horror stories about surgery, but today they are better at it. I know two people who have had surgery and they are doing very well with no problems related to the surgery. Take care and good luck with what you decide to do.