Use a neurosurgeon not a orthopedic. Like I found out if you have lower back herniations , the longer it goes untreated the more nerve damage you will incur. Drop foot and incontinence are possibilities. Good luck to you sir!

I went through injections, in my back. Then exercises to get things back I shape. The exercises certainly helped. The thing I most credit helping to keep my get back in shape is my mattress. I got a very hard mattress, an I mean hard--firm.. It was a bit to get used to, but now, the thing is great. I can feel my back being pushed into the position the doctors wanted by doing the exercises. Once you get used the hard mattress, and it takes a while, I believe it will help your back. It helped mine.

If all it takes is a hard mattress; move to Barbados. I swear there ain't a hotel on the entire island that doesn't use morgue slabs for mattresses.

Not all herniations need surgery or cause nerve damage. If there are no signs of nerve impingement like numbness or weakness, it is unlikely surgery will do anything. Those are both possibilities if there is cord involvement. A neurosurgeon can do nothing but surgery or injections which is why that is usually what they do. They figure it's not going to hurt anything but many are unhappy with the results. I see tons of people each day with back pain who don't want to do the therapy because they don't think it will help. Have 2 herniated disks myself and have had 2 compression fractures, all managed with therapy.