I have a personal interest in this particular issue. I have had two lumbar discectomy procedures (L5/S1, the second one was for recurrent herniation).
Spine surgery works well to relieve "radicular" pain, which is radiating pain into the extremities from a pinched nerve root (hence the term, from radix, "root"). "Axial" pain (in the spine itself) is much more problematic, because it is difficult to ascertain the exact source of the pain. The pain might be from degeneration of the disk space (i.e. arthritis), maybe from bulging of the disk itself, or maybe from the facet joints (articulating joints on the posterior aspect of the spine, which link up each vertebra to the vertrebrae above and below).
It sounds like your pain is axial, so I would definitely try the nonsurgical treatments mentioned in the thread first. If you had primarily radicular pain, I would not hestitate to recommend surgical decompression.
Some spine surgeons might recommend a discogram. This is a minor procedure in which the surgeon (or pain management specialist, or radiologist) injects radio-opaque dye into the disc space. An X-ray imaging device is used to confirm that the injection was performed within the correct disc space. If the injection reproduces the pain, then you have some assurance that the pain is discogenic.
Sometimes a similar strategy is used to ascertain if the pain is caused by the facet joints.
I think the advice regarding exercise and maintaining muscular tone (the abdominals and paraspinals) is good advice. If you are overweight, losing weight would probably also help, but that's easier said than done (as I know all too well).
I can't tell you much about acupuncture and magnets. I can honestly say that most docs are not against "holistic" or "non-traditional" treatment. There is not some evil medical-industrial complex trying to suppress alternative medicine. The problem is that Western docs are good at intervention, and are not well-trained in prevention or actual health maintenance. Part of it is because there's not much profit in it from the doc's standpoint. Part of it is because patients don't like to hear they need to exercise, or lose weight, or stop smoking. Let's face it, most people don't need a doctor to tell them what they need to do to improve their general state of health.
Another objection docs may have is that many of the accounts of successful application of alternative treatments are based upon studies with poor methodology. Truthfully, many studies of "mainstream" medical treatments have poor methodology too. It is very difficult to perform randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled experiments on human beings.
I don't have any objection to trying chiropractic manipulation, but I don't agree with their theory of the pathophysiology of spine problems. Studies have demonstrated poor inter-observer and even intra-observer reproducibility of interpreting spine radiographs for "subluxations". And I can tell you from personal experience that it would be very difficult to correct any spinal subluxations with manual pressure. I am not flaming chiropractors as charlatans. Studies have demonstrated poor reproducibility among orthopaedic surgeons and radiologists in grading the severity of fractures and other bone conditions (e.g. Kienbock's disease, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease) as well. And our understanding of diseases is revised constantly. (I would say that if your chiropractor tells you he can cure diabetes, asthma, and cancer with spinal manipulation, then run away.)
I do believe that chiropractic manipulation has therapeutic benefit, and reduction of symptoms has been documented in clinical studies. There may be some beneficial physiologic effect from manipulation, probably through release of endorphins or cytokines from mechanical stimulation. The same holds true of acupuncture; nobody has ever demonstrated evidence of "chi", but needling has been shown to reduce pain. Interestingly, a recent study demonstrated that sham acupuncture (piercing sites that are not "true" acupuncture sites) is at least as equally effective as "real" acupuncture.
This is not to say that alternative medical treatments are bogus. Remember, many studies of mainstream medical treatments have equally flawed methodology. And our scientific knowledge of why those treatments work may not be accurate. I don't think anybody can honestly tell you why corticosteroid ("cortisone") injections help conditions like trigger finger, DeQuervain's tenosynovitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The pat answer is "anti-inflammatory effect", but those conditions are almost always not primarily inflammatory in nature. I can tell you that the injections have been shown in blinded studies to be more effective than placebo (saline injections), but I don't know the exact physiologic mechanism. The same could be true of chiropractic manipulation (i.e. it helps, but not for the reason we think it does), but I don't know how one would design a study that would include placebo manipulation.
Most back pain will resolve on its own within a few weeks, even without any intervention. The problem is that you may develop recurrent episodes of pain, depending upon the underlying source.
Spine surgeons in America, as a whole, do tend to operate too much. When you're trained to use a hammer, everything tends to look like a nail. It's difficult to have a patient keep on returning to your office, telling you that their pain is not getting better. At some point, it becomes tempting to recommend surgery because nothing else has worked and you're tired of seeing the patient keep coming back... even if you're not fully confident the operation will work. And yes, there are a few surgeons who are in it for the money, don't care if the surgery will work or not, and cut on anybody who shows up in the office.
It is only fair to point out that Americans sometimes expect too much from modern medicine. Some problems cannot be fixed, only managed. Often, patients will seek surgery rather than pursue a difficult treatment option (threapy, weight loss, abstinence from smoking/alcohol). Maybe it's because surgery is presented as a "quick and easy" solution, maybe it's because the patient can then pawn the responsibility off on the surgeon rather than accept some responsibility for their own fate. Some patients actually demand surgery even if the surgeon advises them it won't help ("You've got to do something!") Sometimes there is no cure for the problem at all. Very few people are willing to accept that.
I would try gentle exercises or therapy, heat or cold (as appropriate), and maybe a TENS unit until the pain improves. Then you could try an abdominal and back strengthening program, once you are able to tolerate it. Find an experienced therapist, one with a few grey hairs. The young ones right out of therapy school do not understand the aches and pains that come with age, and they tend to assume that you should bounce back from injuries within 3 weeks just like they do. There is no harm in trying magnets or nutritional supplements, and they might do you some good. Be careful with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (like aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen), because they will eventually harm the GI tract and kidneys. "Threre's no such thing as a free lunch."
What's worked best for me was weight loss, maintaining an abdominal and back strengthening program, and maintaining cardiovascular fitness. As I said before, easier said than done. I still have periodic episodes of axial back pain, which is due to progressive arthritic degeneration of the disc space after disceectomy. There's that free lunch thing again...
Sorry about the long post/rant. Sorry if I've stepped on any toes. I don't claim to be omniscient, but I couldn't let that "all doctors are idiots" statement stand.
That's my free advice, and it's worth every penny. :nana:
I will have you in 4 times as much pain as you are in now. 
It took about 5 minutes for me to be able to walk again (straight home - to bed). My doctor sent me to PT, which I've been doing regularly. The PT crew are making me do McKenzie-type extensions. They hurt like @|€#!, but they do ease up the pain. It's gotten better, but now I feel like my entire back is weak; I almost can't bend forward because I know I'll get pain again.
