Hello Colin, I feel for you! It would take too long to go into my own personal history of back problems (broken back, several severly herniated discs, etc).
Please, get your hands ASAP on a book called 'Pain Free' by Pete Egoscue. The title says it all! The simple excercises in it saved my life, it works! Any library can get you the book.
Here is his website below. I really do hope you'll look into this. Every person I know that has followed the simple excercises has been helped, most quite dramatically.
Best of luck and God bless.....
http://www.egoscue.com/htdocs/index.asp
