Originally Posted by
lobachevsky
FTFY, unfortunately. :(
I hate to be Debbie Downer here, but it's pretty much a truism that once an athlete's back starts acting up the party's over. From the experience of everyone I know with back problems (& that includes nearly all my male relatives, most of whom were athletes of one sort or another in their younger days), it is IMO extremely unlikely that he will ever fully recover; in fact, one can almost count on him having more disc trouble sooner rather than later, particularly in such a physically demanding occupation. Playing a few more years at a serviceable though unspectacular level, with occasional flare-ups, is about the best anyone can reasonably hope for. Sorry.