Simply put, calcification indicates that the disease has been present for a relatively long time and is not directly related to the decision to operate. How does calcification of a herniated lumbar disc come about? Usually after a herniation, there is a small amount of bleeding and the presence of osteogenic components in the blood. These components have the potential to cause calcification. On the other hand, lumbar spine degeneration, over time, is also prone to osteophytes and the formation of calcification. The younger the patient, the more likely calcification is to occur. Whether to operate or not, my opinion is that it has nothing to do with calcification, just answer two questions to basically know whether to operate: 1. Does it affect life, work and rest? 2, conservative treatment for a period of time has no effect? Some friends also mentioned the issue of minimally invasive calcification. First of all, I would like to say that for severe calcification, even standard open fusion surgery is difficult, so minimally invasive surgery for highly calcified patients will be even more difficult, requiring grinding and drilling to remove, sometimes botching the process. However, my experience is that for small, relatively loose, isolated calcifications, minimally invasive (e.g., foraminotomy) removal is possible. Of course, the doctor needs to be very experienced to do this. It is best to talk to your doctor on an outpatient basis to determine if this can be done. This is not only a test of the doctor’s knowledge and skill, but also a reflection of the patient’s ideas and requirements. Remember, there are times when calcification is present, but the symptoms are much better after minimally invasive surgery, and it is fine. My opinion has always been that it’s not about the film looking good, but alleviating the symptoms and relieving the pain at minimal cost is the right thing to do. Don’t worry too much about calcification, a lot of it doesn’t invite you, it’s just a new soft protrusion that aggravates the back pain. When I do minimally invasive, I need to weigh the relationship between symptoms, effectiveness and safety, not just emphasize one aspect, but look at the whole picture, think holistically and balance the big picture. My basic idea is that “symptoms are king” and “balance is king”.