I had/have a left L5-S1 herniation. At its worst, I couldn't even stand up straight without excruciating pain. I had constant back spasms while sitting down and my legs would often "give out" when holding my daughter. I work in the realm of neuro/spine surgery so know some great docs to go to in DFW and who to avoid, so I ended up showing my MRI to the guy who I'm with twice per week (for the past 10 years). For my particular situation, I was put on a steroid pack and given multiple stretches to do every day. I was able to slowly (and I mean slowly) gain some relief over about 2-3 months and, right now, I'm about 4+ years post that episode. Sure, I occasionally have some flare-ups from time to time, but never to the degree that I had it previously. When it happens, I just take things easy and go back to my stretches. At its worst, I was incredibly close to getting cut on, but I have a doc that I know and trust give me advice to avoid it, which I am quite grateful. If you are local, I'd happily pass his name on. I'll see if I can find the stretches for you as well