A herniated disc occurs when the vertebrae of the spine compress a disc in between the vertebrae, causing the hard outer shell of the disc to crack and leak the inner disc fluid into the spinal canal.

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, you may be experiencing chronic pain in the back and extremities. Depending on where your disc is located, you may feel shooting and radiating pain in the buttock and leg, or in the arm and head. For many patients with severely herniated discs, conservative treatments like physical therapy and chiropractic therapy have not produced any lasting pain relief.

At USA Spine Care, we understand the frustration and helplessness that you feel after months and years of treatment with no pain relief. Instead of simply treating your symptoms of pain and discomfort, our goal is to treat your condition at the source of the problem — the herniated disc in your spine. We understand the hesitancy some patients feel toward spine surgery, but at USA Spine Care, we offer a safer and effective alternative to traditional open back surgery. Our minimally invasive surgery features muscle-sparing techniques through a small, 1-inch incision that allows our patients to experience less scarring and a shorter recovery time^{^} than traditional open back surgery.

We encourage you to research our minimally invasive procedures to treat a herniated disc in the spine so you can make an informed decision about the best treatment option for your needs.

Minimally invasive procedures available to treat a herniated disc

We offer two types of surgery to treat a herniated disc: minimally invasive decompression surgery and minimally invasive stabilization surgery. The type of surgery you receive will be determined by the location and severity of your herniated disc.

Minimally invasive decompression surgery

Our minimally invasive decompression surgery is generally used to treat milder instances of herniated discs. During this procedure, the surgeon will make a small, 1-inch incision along the spine. The damaged portion of the disc will be removed, allowing the impacted nerve in the spinal canal to be freed.

Two of our most commonly performed minimally invasive decompression surgeries to treat herniated discs are a discectomy and a laminotomy.

Minimally invasive stabilization surgery

Our minimally invasive stabilization surgery is a safer, more effective alternative to traditional open back fusion. During this procedure to treat a herniated disc, the surgeon would make a small incision in the back to access the spine. We use precise, muscle-sparing techniques to avoid the cutting and tearing of muscles along the spine to reduce your scarring and recovery time.* Once the spine is accessed, the surgeon will remove the herniated disc that is compressing the nerve in the spinal canal. After the disc is removed, an implant will be inserted in the empty disc space to stabilize the spine.

All of our minimally invasive surgeries are performed as outpatient procedures, which means our patients can return to their home or hotel the same day as the surgery was performed, as long as they are under the supervision of a caretaker.

More information about our minimally invasive surgery for herniated discs

As you continue to research treatment options for your herniated disc, we encourage you to reach out to our Care Team with any questions. We are here to help you find the best solution to treat your herniated disc and regain your quality of life.

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