In addition to Dr. Davis' comment about exercise, I'd like to add that yoga is a fantastic tool that we can use to bring flexibility and strength to the body after the disc has begun it's healing process. After your first two weeks of treatment, I am happy to introduce yoga to you and show you how your body can benefit from yoga.
    In addition to changing your physical body, yoga will decrease your back pain in psychological ways as well. There is often a huge psychological component to back pain. As our patients read in their home care kit and as we tell them all the time, reducing stress will help your back. Yoga reduces stress (when done properly!). I really like the way spinehealth.com puts it: "In theory, yoga helps people concentrate their energy on breathing and maintaining posture. The methodical breathing increases oxygen flow to the brain and sets a rhythm within the body and mind. This action coupled with the poses and sometimes meditation is said to dissipate stress and anxiety, therefore, relieving back pain caused by psychological and emotional factors". The word yoga means to join together, or to create a union. This union occurs between your mind and your body. As health care moves towards a more integrated approach, the importance of psychological factors on disease is being given more weight and being appropriately addressed. Addressing the mind as well as the body will really facilitate healing back problems and I can't express enough how much my yoga practice has helped me to do that.