I have herniation in L4/L5 and L5/S1 that I've been dealing with for 25 yrs. (current age 51) I had to quit running (no more marathons) and am always on the hairy edge of major episodes but have discovered I can ride (and really crank) all day long with no back problems at all (lucky in this regard).

I've tried everything and am convinced the best thing after an "episode" is to keep moving. The very worst problems for me have always occured when I try to rest and immobilize for any period of time at all. The longer I immobilized, the worse it got. And a couple of those were really bad (weeks of horrendous pain that made me wonder if life was worth it). Now I ignore all episodes and continue with normal movement as much as possible (no back stress but plenty of walking). The difference has been miraculous. I stay very active and still play golf (but don't carry anymore).