"You know professional athletes come back from this injury. Including powerlifters and strongmen."

They might with surgery or if they change their routine..if it is the same severity as mine. I would have to have surgery to "overcome" it. There is a lot of stuff that I just can't do. Stretching/strenthening can help somewhat. First there is microscopic surgery where they can trim some of the disc away from the spinal cord...but that doesn't repair the disc. It's still vulnerable. The second option is removing the ruptured disc and fusing the vertebrate together. It isn't good for your flexibility and you would be off your feet for a long time. If I had been older, I would have had surgery. For some reason, they thought I might be okay because I am younger. Not quite sure why. I don't want to have surgery though. The epidural injections I got were bad enough. I take glucosamine and chondroitin. It helps some. I will try the good mornings and start stretching more. Definitely can't do squats or deadlifts or anything like that. I can't do situps right now, but I can do crunches.

I'll let you guys know how it goes. I just joined yesterday although I have read the forums for a few months. You guys help to keep me motivated. I will try to post more often. Thanks.