man this sounds just like me. im 22. i was super athletic and was playing semi-pro paintball. i started working out to gain weight and the squats killed my back. doing squats 3 times a week, i tore my l4-l5 disc and now have a herniated L4-L5 disc and atleast a bulging L5-S1. The pain i have is so severe I can barely stand, and cant stand or sit up straight at all. I have to hunch my lumbar spine to get relief. If you can still stand and support your own body weight, youre better off than me. I wouldnt recommend lifting weights to further progress your problem. Lifting light weights for core stabilization exercises is fine and good for you though.
Sorry to hear about this man, I have been dealing with mine for almost 9 months now. If you ever get back to this article and read this, please respond and let me know how you're doing now! Good luck and god bless!
-Bryan
your life is more important than sports. pain for the rest of your life is not worth it. dedicate your life to others to teach the sport you love... get many diff opions from your scans from diff doctors... orthopedic and neuro.