Do I need surgery for a herniated lumbar disc?

Having a herniated lumbar disc does not necessarily mean you need surgery. A herniated lumbar disc is the result of a combination of aging plus strain. It is not the case that if you have a lumbar disc removed, everything will be fine. Because aging and strain will continue. Medical development can not make people “return to childhood”. Therefore, the purpose of treatment is to relieve symptoms, not to cure aging. Back strain mainly comes from incorrect sitting posture and work habits. Therefore, sedentary occupations are prone to the disease, such as office (accounting, secretarial, drafting, computer), driving or riding in a car, playing mahjong, playing computer games. The lumbar spine force is 1.0 when lying down, 1.5 in standing position and 2.5 in forward sitting position, the lumbar spine is the most tired while the upper and lower limbs are very relaxed. Conservative treatment was effective in 85% of the patients and just 15% kept progressing to the point of needing surgery. The most important aspect of conservative treatment is bed rest. But it is also the most neglected. It is common to “nest” in bed or on the sofa, watching TV or reading books, which results in resting the limbs, while the lower back is still being strained. Traction, physical therapy, acupuncture, plasters, etc., can partially relieve the symptoms, but can not cure the “aging” and “fatigue”. Lumbar disc herniation surgery indications are: 1, foot drop (muscle weakness or atrophy); 2, cauda equina nerve injury (perianal numbness or dysfunction of urinary and fecal function); 3, the first attack of low back pain, conservative treatment for more than 6 weeks is ineffective; 4, recurrent low back pain, seriously affecting the work life. Currently, the world’s recognized resection method is the small incision “open window method” of discectomy, with an incision of 3-4cm. Minimally invasive surgery is a very beautiful concept, and minimally invasive surgery with laparoscopy, thoracoscopy and cystoscopy is widely used in surgery. The prerequisite for minimally invasive to be able to be performed successfully is the potential cavity of the abdomen, thorax, and bladder for easy illumination and visualization. Minimally invasive surgery in spine surgery clinically belongs to the attempted and promoted segments. At present, there are many problems in clinical practice. 1, the bones and muscles are closely connected, and the gap is very small, so it is not convenient for the use of the luminal lens; 2, it is necessary to constantly take X-ray films to locate the operation; 3, the operation field is not as intuitive as the “small incision” operation; 4, the incision also needs 2 cm. Because of the above reasons, although minimally invasive spinal surgery has been used in Europe and the United States, it is also a publicity far more than practice. Publicity is far more than practice.