How does one make diagnosis of herniated disc?

The diagnosis of a herniated disc can be made very easily with an MRI. Plain x-rays are often done by doctors but these imaging studies are a waste of money and often delay proper treatment in some cases. However, even with a diagnosis of herniated disc the treatment is somewhat difficult. There is no one treatment that works in everyone. Even the same treatment may not work in the future. For most patients with back pain, the treatment has to be individualized. Unfortunately, most health care professionals simply write a pain prescription, send the individual for physical therapy exercise clinic (most likely owned by the physician or his colleagues), and then recommend surgery.