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Surgery for herniated disk: Pros and cons
By Mayo Clinic staffSurgery may dramatically reduce the pain of your herniated disk, but it isn't the best solution for everyone. Your preferences and concerns play a large role in determining the right choice for you. Before deciding whether to undergo surgery, consider the following points:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It can relieve pressure on spinal nerves, alleviating pain and improving function. | Surgery isn't a sure cure. You still may have pain, especially back pain. Perhaps the disk wasn't the only cause of your problem, or it may be that the nerve was compressed for too long or too severely. |
| It has the potential to reduce pain faster than nonsurgical means. Your leg pain may be gone by the time you awaken from surgery. | Possible complications include a small risk of bleeding, risks associated with anesthesia, infection, injury to the nerves, leakage of spinal fluid and scarring. |
| It may offer a better chance for improvement of nerve irritation. | Surgery is more effective at relieving leg pain than back pain. |
| It's a relatively common procedure, and results usually are good. | You may need additional surgery in the future. With every subsequent operation the chances of a good result decrease. |
| Long-term outcomes are often similar to those of less invasive treatments. |
