Amelia Grant

Most herniated disc symptoms are resolved with conservative therapy or no treatment at all. Many persons with disc herniations can alleviate their symptoms with conservative treatments such as medications, physical therapy, or steroid injections. When these therapies fail, your doctor may recommend surgery to alleviate your discomfort and prevent further harm.

If you are unsure if your problem requires surgery, here are five factors that help surgeons decide on the best course of action. 

- Persistent soreness that did not respond to conventional treatment even after four to eight weeks;
- Lower limb weakness affects mobility, whether standing or walking;
- Daily duties are becoming difficult because of extreme discomfort;
- Extreme numbness or tingling in your upper or lower limbs;
- Unable to regulate bladder or bowel motions.

Depending on the severity of your impairment and suffering, your doctor may propose surgery. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms indicated above, surgical treatment is strongly recommended.

A herniated disc may appear to be a serious condition, but there are numerous treatments available. Disc herniation normally improves within a few days or weeks. In the early stages, the patient may benefit from conservative care and avoid surgery.

If you don't have severe symptoms of nerve compression or disability, conservative treatment is usually the best option. The goal of nonsurgical or conservative herniated disc treatment is to relieve your symptoms.

What Are the Surgical Options for Herniated Discs?
If pain medication and nonsurgical therapy have not alleviated your chronic pain, your doctor may consider invasive surgical treatment for your herniated disc. Excessive strain on your nerve roots may cause discomfort. An orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon may conduct disc surgery to relieve pressure or compression from an intervertebral disc on a nerve root.

6 Types of Disc Surgery
- Open discectomy
During an open discectomy, your surgeon will make an incision in the lower back's midline to remove the herniated disc. They may remove any bone spurs or bony protrusions that could cause joint injury. Open discectomy is a highly effective treatment for lumbar disc herniation.

- Microdiscectomy or endoscopic spine surgery
It's essentially a less invasive version of open discectomy. To remove the herniated disc, a 1.5-inch or smaller incision is necessary. An endoscope is a long, thin tube that provides a better view of your nerve roots and surrounding tissues. Microdiscectomy is typically the preferred surgery since it causes minimal tissue injury, blood loss, and visible scars while posing low infection concerns.

- Spinal disc core surgery
During spinal disc core surgery, your surgeon will treat the herniation from the center of the intervertebral disc. They make an incision in your back to access the injured disc and use suction to remove the core. It shrinks your intervertebral disc, which relieves nerve pressure. 

Disc core surgery is only recommended if your disc's outer layer has not already been affected.

- Laminectomy
Laminectomy is a prominent surgical treatment used to address disc herniation, particularly in the back and neck. A laminectomy is a surgical procedure that involves creating a midline incision in your back to remove the full or a section of the vertebra (spine bone) known as the lamina. It releases pressure from your nerve roots and spinal cord, allowing them to relax.

Following the removal of the lamina, your surgeon can perform a diskectomy to remove the herniated disc. Laminectomy alleviates leg soreness and other symptoms caused by disc herniation.

- Spine fusion
Spinal fusion helps to stabilize the spine, especially after procedures such as laminectomy.

After a discectomy, your surgeon may use screws or rods to connect two or more vertebrae.

During this time, your vertebrae will grow and fuse together to form a strong, stable structure.

This procedure is routinely performed on patients suffering from lumbar degenerative disc disease, a condition characterized by disintegrating discs in the lower back. Recovery could take up to a year, and there is a risk of reduced spinal movement.

-  Artificial disc replacement
Artificial disc replacement surgery is an alternative to spinal fusion. Your surgeon will remove the herniated disc and replace it with an artificial disc. In comparison to spinal fusion, it allows for more spine movement, less stress on the surrounding discs, and a faster recovery time.

With medical improvements, surgery has become the favored alternative for improving short and long-term outcomes. Various disc herniation operations have been shown to be safe and successful in treating persistent back and neck discomfort.