When rest, medication and physical therapy fail to relieve the painful symptoms associated with a herniated disc, a diskectomy may be required to successfully resolve the issue.
Our Approach to Diskectomy Treatment
If pain from your herniated disc lasts for several months and becomes so severe that it affects your ability to move, walk or control your bladder or bowels, surgery is likely your best option. While the procedure results in fast pain relief, surgery comes with potential risks and side effects.
If your herniated disc is not responding to treatment, our neurosurgeons may be able to help.
Types of Diskectomy
Open Diskectomy
An open diskectomy is performed like most other traditional surgeries—your neurosurgeon will use a scalpel to make an incision so they can access the affected area and remove material from the disc. The operation typically takes place in a hospital under general anesthesia.
Microdiskectomy
A microdiskectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that is executed using a much smaller cut. Using a surgical microscope, your neurosurgeon will have the advantage of increased visibility, allowing them to leave surrounding bones, ligaments, tissue and muscle untouched. Microdiskectomy is done in a hospital or outpatient setting with localized or general anesthesia.
