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Google Dr. Stuart McGill if you want to zero in on your issue and how to work around it.
15 years ago I ruptured a disc (even I could see what looked like a spill on the MRI) and had a microdiscectomy to remove the offending disc material off of my sciatic nerve root. Did it help, yes… maybe 60% better but I would tweak my back constantly doing the simplest of things. For the next 5 years I was very limited and my fitness level and quality of life went down hard.
Not until I found McGill’s books about 5 years later did I begin to almost immediately improve. I joined a gym and slowly improved my core and back tensioning muscles so my spine stays tethered in a good position. Watch out for “stretching”, too, as the wrong ones can put your spine in a position that further raises intradisc pressure and can exacerbate your issue. No sit-ups or curls!
Don’t get surgery for a disc issue. Studies suggest surgery /non surgery groups are just as unhappy as each other 1 or 2 years out. The key is to avoid the positions that inflame it for long enough that the inflammation goes down and you can strengthen your stabilizers.