The care of a patient with a lumbar herniated disc is far from standardized and, to a certain extent, needs to be individualized for each patient.
The treatment options for a lumbar herniated disc will largely depend on the length of time the patient has had his or her symptoms and the severity of the back pain. Other considerations include the nature of the symptoms (such as if weakness or numbness is present), and possibly the age of the patient.
As a general rule, patients will be advised to start with 6 to 12 weeks of nonsurgical treatment, such as physical therapy, epidural injections or medications. There is a wide range of nonsurgical treatments available, and some treatments may work better for some patients than others.
Nonsurgical treatments for the lumbar herniated disc are largely successful and can lead to full rehabilitation without surgical intervention.
Treatments that can lead to full rehabilitation without surgery include: