Pain caused by a lumbar herniated disc will be felt in the buttocks, legs, feet, and even the toes. A lumbar herniated disc will often resolve itself over a period of weeks but if it doesn’t go away physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication can be applied as treatment. If the herniated disc does not show signs of improvement and it’s causing the patient a loss in quality of life, lumbar herniated disc surgery may be considered.

Lumbar herniated disc surgery is typically performed either as an open back procedure or with minimally invasive techniques. Open back surgery requires a large incision and cutting or tearing of the surrounding tissues and muscles, whereas minimally invasive techniques only require a small incision with the tissue and muscle surrounding the herniated disc being pushed or manipulated instead of cut.

Compared with open back surgery, minimally invasive back surgery is associated with quick recovery and small chance of complications because of the nature of minimally invasive surgical techniques. And the patient treated with minimally invasive back surgery will likely feel much less pain after the surgery.

How to Reduce the Risks of Lumbar Herniated Disc Surgery Failure

By finding a surgeon with years of training and experience you should be able to reduce the risk of lumbar herniated disc surgery failure. By listening to your physician and asking his or her opinion of the referred surgeon you will gain more knowledge that will help you make an informed decision. Never be afraid to seek out a second opinion if you are not comfortable with the information you have been given. The most important aspect to your surgery is that you as the patient feel comfortable.

Lumbar Spinal Fusion

Unless the patient has elected to undergo minimally invasive surgical procedures, lower back surgery for herniated disc conditions usually involves a discectomy or laminectomy. Once a lumbar discectomy or laminectomy has been performed, there is often a need for a lumbar spinal fusion to provide some stability to the now structurally compromised spinal segment. A lumbar spinal fusion uses cages, spacers, special screws, and bone grafts to achieve the fusion of the vertebrae involved. Bone grafts will be harvested from the patient (usually the hip) or obtained from a bone bank (organ donors), or they are made of synthetic material. The decision of what type of bone graft to be used will be made by both the patient and the surgeon. Bone grafts obtained from a bone bank undergo strict testing similar to that of blood for transfusions.