Sorry to hear about that pain, unfortunately I know it all too well. In 2002 I had surgery, (micro discectomy on L4-L5/L5-S1), I was one of those cases that did need surgery. I had a ruptured disc that had a fragment break loose and float up my spinal cord until it wedged between some nerves and my spine. If the mafia putting your nuts in a vise is "10" on the pain scale, mine was about 9.8, and all of the books/chanting/faith healers/etc. in the world would not have done a damn thing.
I realise that some peoples' opinion stems from a story of unsuccessful back surgery, but you need to get advice from a top drawer neurosurgeon who specialises in disc injuries and has seen your MRI, not from us. (OK, I guess that was my advice, but it comes from direct experience).
My younger sister, who is an M.D., just had fusion surgery on the same two discs as mine 2 weeks ago, apparently her discs were not save-able. I was sceptical of anyone needing this, especially a relatively young and healthy woman, but she says that there was no other viable option. It is a lengthy recovery period for her, and believe me she researched the living daylights out of her situation. She is a brilliant pathologist who did her fellowship at Mayo, to give you an idea of the medical minds she has access to.
Lastly, I am not dismissing the (very good) advice given here about books and self-healing programs and physical therapy. Even after successful surgery, if in fact you even need it, a strong maintenence program is indispensable. I wish you the best, I know that pain is *special*.
