Herniated Disc | Disc Herniation

Conservative treatment for a lumbar herniated disc

In most cases, if a patient’s low back and/or leg pain is going to resolve after a lumbar herniated disc it will do so within about six weeks. While waiting to see if the disc will heal on its own, several conservative treatment options can help reduce the back pain, leg pain and discomfort caused by the herniated disc.

Physical therapy
Osteopathic/chiropractic manipulations
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Oral steroids (e.g. prednisone or methyprednisolone)
An epidural (cortisone) injection
 
If the pain continues after six weeks, it is reasonable to consider microdiscectomy surgery as an option to alleviate the pain from the herniated disc. A microdiscectomy essentially acts as a microdecompression of the nerve root to provide the nerve with a better healing environment.

Surgical treatment for a lumbar herniated disc

Using microsurgical techniques (a small operation using a microscope) to treat a lumbar herniated disc, a microdiscectomy can usually be done on an outpatient basis or with an overnight stay in the hospital, and most patients can return to work full duty in one to three weeks.

With an experienced surgeon, the success rate of surgery for a lumbar herniated disc should be about 95%. Usually, only the small portion of the disc (5-8%) that is pushing against the nerve root needs to be excised, and the majority of the disc remains intact.