charlotte
If you have a bulge, it will go away with rest and walking.If it's herniated, I recommend a microdiskectomy. I'm a 30 year old marathoner who has run for 19 years; tried physical therapy, accupuncture, rest, etc. for 4 years. Finally, I found a doc who said a bone fusion was toooo extreme, and I should consider microdiskectomy; leaving part of the disk intact; removing only the portion pressing on the nerve. I walked out of the hospital that night; walked 6 absolutely pain-free miles THE NEXT DAY, stairmaster 2 weeks after, took NO pain killers at all, and will run 6 weeks post surgery. Find out if your disk is bulging or herniated. Good luck!