I used it when I had a slipped disk, shortly before I had surgery to correct it. (4 years ago now) No problems since but regular gym/core exercise etc.
The Tramadol was really strong stuff, I found. I was only given it when things got really bad. I couldn’t stand/walk without severe pain. Hardly slept in weeks and in tears for no reason a lot of the time. So when I got it it was a god send, started sleeping better and was able to be more mobile. I can’t remember the dose, but I never took more than was prescribed. I didn’t have any side effects as such but wouldn’t have driven while taking it even if I was physically able to.
I took it for a month while waiting for the surgery then stopped but I did feel like I wanted to take them at night because they whacked me out and I knew they would give me a good nights rest. That was the worrying bit, long term use I bet they would be really addictive.
Hope you get sorted soon. I think physio will help you loads but if it gets worse and surgery does become an option don’t worry about it. It seems like a scary thing to begin with but it’s not a bad procedure. When I woke up and the drugs had cleared out of my system, no pain. It was such a relief.