A.,
I have been dealing with back pain since I was pregnant with my son who is 6.5 years old. I was told during my pregnancy it was syatica (sp?), so I ignored it. After years of the pain continuing, and getting worse, I talked to another doctor about it, only to find out that I have degenerative disc disease, torn discs, and a buldging disc. Point of the story is.... get it looked at. There are many methods of treatment, and hopefully you can find an alternative to surgery. I myself, am facing surgery now. There is a place called Advanced Pain Management that is located in Greenfield. I have had pretty good experiences there, and I think the doctors are very good. If you are interested in getting more information, let me know.
Just another bit of information... the procedures they do are incredibly costly, so if you don't have insurance, you may want to wait it out. Also, I was told that strengthening your stomach muscles can help with back pain. Doing crunches, ball exercises, can usually help. If you see your regular physician first, you can possibly get a referral to see a physical therapist who might be able to help you, otherwise a possible referral to Advanced Pain Management, or somewhere similar.
Good Luck
K.