What happens if a herniated disc is not treated

Patients with a herniated lumbar disc may experience further aggravation of the herniated disc if left untreated. The protruding disc may cause greater compression of the posterior nerve roots, leading to increased edema of the nerve roots and sometimes further compression and ischemia of the nerve bundles inside the nerve roots, leading to increased radiating pain or numbness in the lower extremities. In addition, the ischemia of the nerve bundle due to compression as the protrusion increases may cause irreversible damage to the nerve even after follow-up treatment. Even with conservative or surgical treatment, nerve damage may still occur after treatment due to the prolonged compression and ischemia of the nerve bundle, and it is often impossible to return to a normal state. Therefore, systematic treatment must be carried out after the formation of a lumbar disc herniation. Strict bed rest, application of drugs related to dehydration, anti-inflammation, nerve nutrition, blood circulation and blood stasis treatment, and can be combined with acupuncture, massage and physiotherapy to promote the recovery of local lesions.