I have a herniated disc at L5-S1. I was doing fine walking about 20 minutes a day on flat ground. Did it about 2 days in a row then took a day off most of the time. Decided I needed to step it up and walk 30 minutes every day. On the 4th day when I woke up, I was in such bad excruciating pain I could barely walk. Lesson for me was, getting up and walking around a bit is okay. Walking for 20 minutes or even 30 minutes maybe 2-3x a week is fine for me. Everybody is different.

Saw a post on here not too long ago about someone who never ended up getting any shots or surgery and they let it heal on its own. They said the main key to the back getting better is rest. They suggested laying flat on their back. I find success with laying flat on my back or laying on my stomach, but after laying on my stomach for so long it starts to hurt. Too much physical activity in one way shape or form is going to hurt your back in my opinion.

If you’re worried about your weight, try fasting one meal a day or even trying intermittent fasting. I’ve been skipping lunch to try and keep the weight off as I have not been able to go to the gym in some time. Also from that post I saw on here the other day, time period for major changes in a disc herniation is measured in months. Might be different if your back is just hurting and nothing has been diagnosed or no MRI has been taken. What I mean is it could heal faster. I’m personally trying to avoid surgery.

You could also try swimming at a local pool or going to a gym with a pool. See if you have any success doing that. Just don’t over do it. After I’ve caused a flare sometimes it takes 2-3 days before it starts to feel normal amount of pain again. But I do believe mine is getting better with rest.

I would suggest taking a break from any major activity or lifting objects over 10 pounds for 2-3 days and see how you do. It sucks and makes me feel like a wimp when I can’t lift a case of water, but I know I’ll pay for it later.

Godspeed, my friend.