I feel your pain, Duff.

After my first back surgery back in 1985 or 86, my doctor gave me all kinds of back exercises to do, and I did them faithfully until 1997 when I had another herniated disc problem and needed surgery again. At that point a new surgeon told me that disc problems are not improved or prevented by exercise. A degenerative disc is going to degenerate regardless of what you do.

About all you can do is to build up the muscles in your back to support the spine firmly, keep those muscles healthy and strong so that they don't cause additional pain, keep one's weight down to prevent putting too much pressure on the back, and use correct technique when lifting. Even these steps don't always prevent a recurrence of injury.

There's nothing worse than back pain. I've had it so bad that I literally could not move without suffering unbearable pain. The good news is that most back pain will go away on its own after a few days of complete rest. Good luck!