The odds are that he has a condition called spinal stenosis. PT might help but he really needs to see a physician who will analyse the problem and order an imaging study to find out how bad the back problem really is. Then a treatment plan can be developed. In your opinion are the large number of disc problems due to something we are doing as a society or just a flaw of evolution as we went from quadriped to biped ambulation. James Stoll, M.D. - Time is on your side.
Surgery is much more effective with more leg pain.
Non-operative care is recommended with less leg pain. The options you may use extend to injections, manipulations, and exercise. M.D. - Shoveling will bother people with back problems. The new curved handled shovels change the leverage necessary to do the work. They are better than the stright shovels, but they are not perfect.