Annular tears are quite common and may or may not cause pain. Lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) is the progression of an annular tear to a more global degenerative state of the disc that can also involve some degeneration of the facets (although facet disease does not have to be a part of this condition).
Significant lower back pain (LBP) is generally caused by LDDD but many other conditions can cause lower back pain. See the section “Causes of lower back pain” for a better understanding of back pain sources.
The fact there is no radiation of pain generally means that the nerve roots are not affected and this is a disc issue.
Read the section “conservative treatment of mechanical lower back disorders” to understand how to rehabilitate the spine.
Epidural steroid injections are in my opinion the single best way to address a lower back attack (severe onset of pain with muscle weakness due to pain inhibition). With a history of low back pain and multiple crisis episodes, you might consider a work-up to see if surgery can be helpful to you.
Dr. Corenman
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.