In the clinic, we often encounter patients who are in pain and discomfort in their lower back and have had a CT of the lumbar spine. The doctor told him that there is a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, so he wants to know if he needs surgery in this case. Therefore, it is necessary to give you a little information about this problem, and I hope it will be helpful to you. The cause of lumbar disc herniation lies in the repeated abnormal force on the intervertebral disc, which exceeds the limit of what the disc can withstand, resulting in the rupture of the disc and the protrusion of the nucleus pulposus inside, which happens to compress the nerve at the back, thus causing symptoms such as leg pain and numbness. So what circumstances require surgery? Surgery should be considered if the following conditions are met: 1. Recurrent low back pain accompanied by leg pain or numbness may be relieved by rest or treatment, but after some time it recurs, repeated several times, and is more painful. In other words, the first onset of lumbar disc herniation, should first undergo standardized conservative treatment (such as traction, bed rest and analgesic drugs) for at least 1 month, if there is no relief, then consider surgery. 2. Although the symptoms of lumbar pain are not too serious, CT or MRI shows that the herniated nucleus pulposus is large, especially in young people. This is because the herniated nucleus pulposus cannot be retracted, and with the activities of the back or even minor injuries, the herniated nucleus pulposus has a great possibility of further aggravation, and eventually surgery is inevitable. 3, the occurrence of abnormal urinary and fecal functions (such as incontinence) or the inability to lift the foot (also known as foot drop), these two cases belong to the need for emergency surgery, because the nerves governing the functions of the two bowels and the dorsal extension of the foot are relatively fragile and difficult to recover after injury.