Duration of the operation

The operation itself usually takes about 30-60 minutes. Depending on the individual condition, a hospital stay of a few days is then necessary. Physiotherapy is only started about two weeks after the operation.

Initially, one should not sit too much. For this reason, a precise plan is usually drawn up as to how long one may sit daily. After about 4 weeks you can usually sit without restriction and start with light sports. Back-friendly sports such as swimming or jogging are usually possible again without major restrictions after about 6 weeks. Activities that put a greater strain on the back may usually only be resumed after about 12 weeks.

Method of operation

There are a whole range of surgical procedures available to operate on a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. The exact procedure to be used depends on a number of factors. In addition to the exact location and type of the herniation itself, the individual anatomical conditions and, of course, the wishes of the patient also play a role.

The preferences and experience of the surgeon or the clinic usually also mean that not all methods are used everywhere. However, the differences between the individual methods in terms of the quality of the results are usually not great. The standard procedure is usually to operate on the herniated disc from the back of the body.

Then the herniated disc is freely prepared and then removed. If necessary, further soft tissue or bone tissue is removed that presses on the nerve root. Only when this is completely exposed can the symptoms be alleviated.

Depending on the location of the prolapse, a lateral approach can also be chosen. In the meantime, surgery is often offered either as a minimally invasive or microsurgical procedure, but studies have not yet shown clear advantages for either of the two procedures. All operations are performed under X-ray control.

In the open microsurgical method, access is via a small skin incision, through which the nerve root is then freely prepared. In the endoscopic minimally invasive surgical method, a rigid tube with optics is used, which is usually inserted laterally. This tube can then be used to operate with fine instruments, similar to the usual appendectomy.

This procedure requires a slightly smaller skin incision. The minimally invasive procedure is intended to reduce the formation of scar tissue in the area of the skin wound. In both methods, lasers can be used in addition to normal methods.

These can be used to cut as well as to virtually vaporize fine fiber parts if they are too small for normal removal. With all methods it is important to remove enough cartilage. If too much cartilage remains in the area of the intervertebral disc, it can happen that it slips and leads to a new disc herniation.