Lower Back Injury - Need Advice, Desperately!

Im going to try and keep this as short and simple as possible.

Three years ago i injured my back doing deadlifts and squats, since then i have been unable to properly workout my core, hips and legs. The pain has been coming on and off ranging from extreme intense pain to minimal.

Up until one year ago i was visiting a couple of physiotherapists and chiropractors til’ the point where i felt almost no pain at all, but as soon as i went over to work my core again(with minimal resistance ofc) the pain came back and this time even worse.

So i said fuck it and did an MRT last october which showed a bulging (possibly ruptured) disc in L4-L5 and a minor bulging disc in L5-S1. I decided to give physiotherapy another chance in case i messed up last time.

Around march this year i was experiencing intense pain again, having to eat codeine just to be able to get minimal rest, it was hell short and simple. After another session of physiotherapy it was all good, until a week ago when i decided to start working my core again a little bit doing sidesteps with a rubber band, how hard can it be?

Nevertheless here i am and the pain is coming back again(third time) and i am considering surgery because this is bullshit. Having build my upper back, chest and arms like a gorilla, my legs and core are weak as shit and it pisses me off that i cant do anything about it.

Im 20 years old, injured myself when i was 17. I wonder if there is someone with experience who can share some information, i think surgery is the only option after all this crap i have been through, desperately trying to take a couple of steps forward just to get my ass kicked back to square one all the time.

Read Lower Back Savers on here by Eric Cressey. Now.

Awesome read, thanks man!

Mate, had the exact same injury. Got so bad I lost feeling in one leg.

I would give osteopathic treatment a try. It is a bit weird, but if you ctually do all the exercises and stretches and take it seriously it will work.
Avoi th surgery if you can - you will have to do the osteo stuff in rehab anyway; you may as well just try the rehab and if it is no good, then get cut. I refused to hve surgery - correct decision. I now deadlift over 450, and am stronger than ever.

As you get back into lifting, start with some unilatral stuff. Killer on the core without too much spinal loading. Don’t take the bullshit - stay away from training - advice; you need to get in and get your back strong so that this shit won’t happen again.