Herniated Disc Back Surgery - When To Consider Surgery, And When To Consider Alternatives

Herniated Disc Surgery can be a very ominous thing to consider, particularly because of all the conflicting information you will find. There are definitely some times where surgery for a herniated disc is necessary, but more often than not, this is not the case.

In fact, most of the research available today tells us that the success rate of bulging disc neurosurgery is very low, and rarely results in lasting relief (in most cases, the pain returns within 5 years).

This article will discuss the different options available for bulging disc neurosurgery, but before we cover that, we need to talk about what a herniated disc is.

The spinal discs are cushions that separate each set of vertebrae in the spine. Their main purpose is to act as shock-absorbers, protecting the bones of the spine from excessive wear and tear with movement.

Each disc is made up of a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. In the case of a herniated disc, the annulus is damaged and tears. This leads to the jelly to shift from the center of the disc into the area of weakness, which causes the disc to bulge.

The most serious complication of this condition is that the nerves of the spine are located directly behind each spinal disc, which is where the disc will tend to bulge if it is injured. Because of this, the herniated disc will tend to apply pressure on a nerve, which can result in a great deal of pain and disability.

In fact, an interesting fact about the spinal discs that you may not know is that they are not able to experience pain sensations. This may sound crazy to you at first, because as you know, this can be a very painful condition to live with.

But if you think about it, it makes sense that a disc wouldn’t experience pain, because they are absorbing shock all day. If they could experience pain, you would be in pain all the time, with every movement you make!

So, what actually causes the pain in the case of a herniated disc? It’s actually the pressure on the affected nerve. Even more important than the pain, though, is the other body parts that can be affected by this condition.

Because the nerves of the spine control everything in the body, pressure on a nerve will cause the part of the body being controlled by that nerve to stop working like it’s supposed to.

A good example of this would be a herniated disc in the lower back. The nerves that would be affected here control the legs, so it’s very common for a person with this condition to experience pain radiating down the legs, as well as weakness in the legs.

I’ve even seen cases where the pressure on the nerves in the low back becomes so strong that a person literally drops to their knees because they’ve lost so much strength in their legs.

Now, before we talk about the different types of back surgery for a herniated disc available, let me just say one thing, because people often ask if there is a way for them to tell if surgery is their only option, and there is.

There are only a couple of situations that actually call for surgery right away. The first is if you have a herniated disc in your low back, and you are losing control of your bowel and/or bladder. This is very serious and usually requires surgery immediately.

The other situation that usually requires surgery is when a person begins to have weakness in the extremities (either the arms or legs). This is a sign that the nerves have so much pressure on them that they are beginning to fall asleep. This is also a very serious sign.

One thing I should say about that second situation, though, is that the weakness I’m referring to is an objective weakness that a physician can only find through a proper examination. You may feel like you are having weakness, but unless it shows up on the exam, it may not be serious enough to consider surgery.

In other words, your physician is the only one who will know if you have a true weakness that requires surgery.

Now let’s talk about the different types of bulging disc neurosurgery commonly used today. Even though there is a lot of new research in this field, the two most commonly used forms of surgery involve either removing the bulging part of the disc to remove the pressure from the nerve, or removing the entire disc and fusing the vertebrae above and below the disc together.

With both of these types of surgery, the success rate is very low – only about 16% according to the medical journal Spine. Also, these often lead to other complications in the future. With a fusion, the joints above and below the fusion have to work extra hard to make up for the lack of movement, so those joints tend to wear out more quickly, and the problem will ultimately spread throughout the spine.

In the case of a disc resection, where they remove the part of the disc that is bulging, the condition usually returns within 5 years, because if you are removing a part of the disc, it creates a weakness in the disc, and also causes scar tissue to develop over time.

Many people ask me about disc replacement back surgery, and other recent findings in this field, but at this point in time, these forms of surgery are not as commonly used. I believe there is a lot of potential in this field, but they really haven’t perfected this technology yet.

So, here’s the bottom line with bulging disc neurosurgery – always view this as a last resort. The success rate is very low, and unless you fit into one of the categories that absolutely requires surgery, you should try everything else available first.

So, what other alternatives do you have? After working with thousands of patients with this condition, I have actually found that there are a number of treatments that are very helpful, and can truly provide lasting results.

I’ve actually found that it’s a combination of treatments that provide the best results. If you are interested in avoiding bulging disc neurosurgery, and would like to know more about the combination of therapies that are most effective for healing a herniated disc, you can click here (herniated disc spine surgery) to get all the details.

Did you find this article helpful? Here are some other related articles and resources you may also find useful:

• Here is a list of the best resources I've found for Bulging Disc / Herniated Disc relief
• Herniated Disc Spine Surgery – Things To Consider Before Making A Decision
• Herniated Disc Surgery - Types Of Surgery And Alternatives
• Surgery For A Herniated Disc – Surgical Options And Alternatives
• More Disc Surgery Resources