I remember , yet tend not dwell on the agony of a half-a-year's time in the winter of 2006-2007 I anguished from what I later found to be a herniated disc in my lower back. At this point in time of my life, 31, I felt invincible still and I thought I never could get hurt or have this injury happen to me, like it did. I presumed "L4" and "L5" were some spacecraft hovering above mars sniffing galactic space dust or reporting back to NASA of some amoebas or new life discovered. Blah! Or perhaps a letter number pair someone playing Battleship would declare to a friend across the table. On the spinal column of the body map it's the most common problem area for back sufferers, chronic, and stressed in most cases of discs and herniated disc regions for this type of pain. This injury, in my predicament was the worst, of course, dealing with the spine, it has different effects on different people as everyone's genetic and physical make is slightly different when it involves weight distribution and force on the spine and shifting while we walk or run or even stand still, our bodies move ever so slightly, constantly relying on the back for all mechanics. When it first happened, I was stocking tubs of chicken wings in a walk-in cooler at a pizza place I worked at as a delivery driver while I endured job troubles from the trucking industry. Yes chicken wings about 12 to 14lb. tubs of poultry for morning. I was bent forward moving side to side and stooping to place them on metal racks. I didn't realize it, never a thought of carelessness but stacking them three and four at a time on each other and bending is what did me in. The next morning it hit me like a stonewall when I attempted to rise to my feet. My entire left leg was like asleep, constricted, and cramped all in one. Not to mention tingling and the worst pain I had felt in sometime;a pain that made a simple task seem like a project in itself- climbing and reaching to get to one leg, for the kitchen's coffee pot. An initial disc injury may not even be felt the previous night it happens, but you will realize it the next day, for sure! When your disc is herniated or slipped sitting is a complete don't! Driving, if you are capable should be for only short trips. I recall one morning, trying to get to the chiropractor for an appointment, moving ever so slowly and carefully to duck and get in my car was impossible. As soon as I sat in the drivers seat, I never closed the door, I went back in the house, shook the snow off my boots and called to schedule a few days later. Sympathy is needed for an injury of great magnitude, but not alot. You need to realize something, in this situation it will never get better if you don't work at it. I didn't have medical coverage at the time, and my E.R. visit was harshly criticized with a nurse practitioner seeing me instead of a regular doctor, trying to level with me and tell me about his back pain every morning. B.S.! The doctor wrote me a script for an anti-inflammatory and told me to see a specialist. Yeah thanks much! When you have a bad back, you can be your only supporter. Why? It's like a disorder or an ailment of one who's sick, others will never truly know your pain until they go through it. Some things you should never do if your disc herniation was from a sports injury like mine playing ice hockey and poor preparations for it. Sit for too long. This just puts weight four times the amount on your back then if you were standing. Four times! That's insane! Each vertebrae and joint in the spine all work together to hold your body, no sense over working a damaged one. Also, never let your well run dry, or in this case-your body dehydrate. Always drink water and stay hydrated, this makes yours discs more flexible and will heal faster, after proper therapy and flex-ion distraction can move it back and get circulation to the damaged joint. Don't bend or touch your toes if the rupture is outward. This just replays the cause of what happened and hurts like hell. Never take any medication unless prescribed by a doctor or licensed professional in this field. Long hot showers can be nice but not for too long and never frequent. This can make the muscles around the rupture repeatedly weaker and pro long healing. I am better today, and there is help. I still occasionally feel pain doing certain movements but so rare now It's a good trade-off to where I was at. Getting an MRI is key. Physical therapy did fairly well for me , but the best method that helped me avoid back surgery was Flex-ion Distraction table at the Chiropractor's office. It did the trick! Also a change in my diet, a diet of more anti-oxidants and vitamins is helping me maintain strength. If you can buy it try MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) and Chondrite Minerals for healing. Excellent! Many people have said their back's were worse after surgery than before. It's up to you, use your best judgment and G-d bless and get well back sufferers I do feel your pain. I did for a while.