Lumbar disc herniation is a uniquely human disease with a high incidence. Humans walk upright while mammals remain crawling, so the lumbar spine will be subjected to greater gravity. Studies have found that human lumbar discs begin to degenerate after the age of 20, losing water and gradually losing elasticity. Under the action of a specific external force or long-term repeated minor trauma, the lumbar intervertebral disc ruptures and the nucleus pulposus protrudes. When the protruding nucleus pulposus compresses the nerves in the spinal canal, a series of back pain, leg pain, lower limb numbness, weakness, muscle atrophy, and even numbness of the perineum and serious conditions such as urinary and fecal incontinence will occur. There is a wide variety of treatment methods for lumbar disc herniation, giving people a dazzling feeling. However, they are classified into three categories: conservative, interventional, and surgical. Interventional and minimally invasive surgical treatments are collectively called minimally invasive treatments. The standard treatment plan needs to follow a stepwise treatment model. At the beginning of conservative treatment, medication and rehabilitation physiotherapy can be administered under the guidance of a physician, which is to avoid rough pushing and pulling. If conservative treatment is ineffective, this is the time to consider minimally invasive interventional therapies. This includes chemical myelolysis, radiofrequency, plasma, ozone, laser and a series of other methods. Further up, minimally invasive endoscopic surgery to remove the nucleus pulposus can be performed, including intervertebral foraminoscopy and intervertebral discoscopy. If the patient has a large lumbar disc herniation, calcification, or is accompanied by lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar instability, minimally invasive surgery may be difficult and requires traditional open surgery and, if necessary, internal fixation and fusion. Minimally invasive treatment of the lumbar spine is currently one of the hot topics in medicine. It has become the treatment of choice for most patients with lumbar disc herniation because of its minimal trauma, significant efficacy and rapid recovery. Minimally invasive interventional treatment has a long history. Patients can be stabbed into the lumbar disc with a very fine puncture needle through the skin while remaining awake and under local anesthesia. The chemical lysis method of injecting papain or collagenase into the disc has been gradually decreasing in use. In contrast, the application of electrothermal, plasma radiofrequency, laser or ozone methods is on the rise. All these interventions are performed under X-ray fluoroscopy, and the most important mechanism is indirect decompression of the nerve compression through contraction of the nucleus pulposus, which can effectively relieve symptoms and significantly reduce pain. However, in some patients with clear symptoms of nerve root compression, direct removal of the protruding compressed nucleus pulposus is the preferred method. In recent years, the development of endoscopic technology has allowed physicians to remove the herniated nucleus pulposus with the help of minimally invasive endoscopy. Intervertebral discoscopy (MED) has replaced traditional microscopic disc surgery by endoscopically separating the nerve roots and removing the nucleus pulposus through a posterior laminar opening. PELD, on the other hand, removes the herniated nucleus pulposus through the narrow space of the lumbar nerve root outlet (foramen) with the aid of an endoscope. PELD avoids the disadvantages of discoscopic surgery that requires biting off a small amount of bone, and the patient is operated under local anesthesia, making it one of the most advanced and technically demanding minimally invasive lumbar disc surgeries available. Lumbar disc herniation is a common condition that requires surgical treatment when conservative treatment is ineffective. Minimally invasive interventional and endoscopic surgery is suitable for most patients. It avoids the disadvantages of traditional surgery such as large wounds, much bone removal, bleeding and slow recovery, and truly achieves maximum efficacy with minimal trauma. Looking into the future, minimally invasive treatment of lumbar disc herniation will become the mainstream of surgery for the benefit of more patients, with immeasurable economic and social effects.