Lower Back Surgery for Disc Injuries

If you are experiencing symptoms like pain in your lower back or muscle weakness in your legs, you could have an injury to one of the intervertebral discs in your back.

Disc Injuries

Disc injuries include a herniated disc, which occurs when one of your discs ruptures because of strain or degeneration. A disc can also degenerate and shrink, leading to pain in your spine.

Diskectomy

One form of lower back surgery to treat disc injuries is a diskectomy. During this procedure, your doctor will remove the portion of the disc that is protruding and causing problems (see Reference 1).

Spinal Fusion

Spinal fusion can be performed on your lower back for disc injuries. In this surgery, your doctor will remove the injured disc, then fuse your vertebrae together.

Complications

Potential complications of lower back surgery include infection, adverse reaction to anesthesia and the risk of damage to nerves in your back (see Reference 1).

Considerations

Because of the risks and permanent nature of surgery, doctors usually recommend non-invasive treatments for disc injuries first, like physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication.

References

• MedlinePlus: Diskectomy
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Disk Replacement
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Herniated Disk