I've had back pain from significant bulges at L4/L5 and L5/S1 for about 15 years now. I ended up having surgery two years ago because the nerve damage in my right leg got so bad that it felt like there was a giant vise or anaconda squeezing my leg. I have permanent nerve damage and can't do things like crawl on the floor (which sucks because I'm a volunteer firefighter and can't pull hose while crawling anymore). I also avoid squats and deadlifts in the gym (and that sucks because I love deadlifts).

No amount of pain meds have ever helped, so I just deal with the constant stiffness and occasional "flare-up".