I feel your pain TS. 44 years old now and have been training since my dad first let me lift weights at 13. 2 herniated discs, L4/L5 when i was 30 from heavy bent rows, L5/S1 from heavy deads when i was 40. Saw the same surgeon 10 years apart. Thankfully he said surgery wasn't needed but was told to pick and choose my battles carefuly. Essentially you're never the same after certain injuries, try as we might to build up the areas with mobility and strength routines.
What i've found super helpful the last 4 years has been yoga. 5-7 days a week i get on my mat and watch various YouTube videos and work on mobility. It's helped tremendously with bracing my core for lifts and overall mobility. Im still no where near as flexible or nimble as i'd like to be yet i'm getting way less aches and pains than i used to.
My gym warm ups are 10-15 mins long and i make sure to start very light on all lifts no matter the body part. I have no issues doing the bar for the first 2 sets on bench. My gym recently added a reverse hyper and i use that 3-4 times a week and always before legs or back. I dont worry so much about my poundages any more and im just happy to still be strong and doing what i love in the gym!