Does surgery relieve the pain of a herniated disc?

Abstract

Patients with an acute episode of low back pain, radicular symptoms, and evidence of a herniated disc on imaging may experience short-term pain relief from discectomy if their symptoms haven�۪t improved after initial conservative therapy (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, multiple randomized, controlled trials [RCTs]). Although surgery may enhance pain relief initially, no evidence supports a long-term benefit for surgery over conservative management (SOR: A, multiple RCTs).