MRI revealed bulging discs and herniation causing sciatica (which was a first) which varied from a mild, deep butt-muscle pain; to extreme, radiating all the way down to my ankle and sometimes my right testicle.
NSAID anti-inflamatory drugs didn't do much. I was very lucky to find a Physical Therapist who was said to be "good with backs."
After a few sessions we found a combination of stretches and exercises that provided relief.
Basically, my sciatic nerve was being impinged as it passed between vertebra as it exits my spinal column. The stretches were some specific rotations of upper body relative to lower body, which pretty quickly provided relief any time I needed it.
Then some core strengthening which took a lot longer.
Most important is to prevent re-injury through learning how to lift the right way (or actually more important - how to lift the wrong way so you know not to do it again).
I've spoken with plenty of people who've had surgical repairs. Some worked. Many of them didn't, and those people encouraged me to try every possible thing under the sun before considering surgery. I was prepared to pray, swim, stretch, exercise, acupuncture, yoga, learn ballet, become vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, Santeria, voodoo - just about anything.
I got lucky.