It May Be Painful After A Slipped Disc Injury (Today)

Dr Yue Wai Mun was interviewed by Today on the modern medical treatment for slipped disc.

The initial treatment for slipped disc includes medication for pain control and physiotherapy for muscle maintenance. Most patients would improve with such treatment although, according to Dr Yue, about 10% of patients have to go for surgery because:

• the initial slipped disc treatment did not help after three months;
• the symptoms are unbearable even with medication and physiotherapy;
• there is severe nerve injury or bowel and urine problem from nerve compression

A minimally invasive procedure is available for slipped disc surgery. It uses only an incision of 1 to 2cm and has a success rate of over 90%. Patients who go for surgery normally recover faster, with the minimally invasive procedure only requiring two weeks recovery time. However, patients should note that there is still a 1% risk of nerve injury from surgery.