Identification

• Your spine is made up of several bones called vertebrae. Between each vertebra there is a disk. These disks help connect and cushion the vertebrae. The disks are made of a soft, gel-like material surrounded by tougher cartilage. When a disk is herniated, that means that the outer cartilage of the disk has split open, letting the gel in the middle spill out. Lumbar disks are located in the curve of your back, around waist level. A herniated disk in the lumbar spine can cause problems like pain, numbness and sciatica.
  
  

Nonsurgical Treatment

• There are plenty of nonsurgical treatments for herniated lumbar disk pain. A back brace can help during the beginning of treatment; traction may be necessary in severe cases. One treatment is simply to apply heat or cold to the area. Stretching and exercise can build up your back muscles and take pressure off your injured disk. Over-the-counter pain medication, such as aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help manage discomfort. If your pain can't be controlled with over-the-counter medication, you might receive a prescription muscle relaxant or neuropathic pain medication (a type of medication that eases nerve pain). Narcotics might be prescribed for a short period of time. Corticosteroid or epidural injections can kill the pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), during which electrical current is applied to spinal nerves through the skin, is a nonpainful treatment.
  
  

Surgery

• If nonsurgical treatment doesn't help herniated lumbar disk pain after 4 to 6 weeks, or if dangerous symptoms like muscle weakness, numbness or bowel or bladder incontinence appear, surgery may be necessary. The usual surgical treatment for a herniated lumbar disk is a procedure called microdiskectomy. During microdiskectomy, a surgeon makes a small incision in the back, then uses a microscope to get a close-up view of the affected area. Then the herniated parts of the disk are removed, along with any disk fragments. This surgery is generally quite effective and can be done on an outpatient basis, although a hospital stay may sometimes be necessary. Diskectomy is a similar operation, but a microscope isn't used and so it's more invasive. It's as effective as microdiskectomy, but patients must stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 days.