Who this leaflet is for

This leaflet is for anyone who is recovering from, or is about to undergo surgery to treat what’s sometimes called a “slipped disc”. In fact, discs do not slip, they tear or burst to cause back pain and the central soft portion may squirt out to press on the nerves to cause leg pain (sometimes called sciatica). This usually settles without invasive treatment but sometimes needs an operation on the back to remove the burst disc which is causing leg pain.

The technical term for your operation is a discectomy, which is how your surgeon and other health professionals who are helping you may refer to it. This leaflet should be read in conjunction with any other information you have already been given about your procedure.

The following information is designed to help you to make the important decisions about your recovery - such as when you should go back to work and generally just get back to enjoying life the way you like it. Your surgeon, GP and other healthcare professionals will offer you a lot of very good advice - but ultimately it’s you that has to make the decisions.

The advice in this leaflet offers broad guidelines for people who do not have any complications with their surgery, or other specific medical circumstances, such as a long-term condition.

Obviously, every individual has different needs and recovers in different ways – so not all the advice in this leaflet will be suitable for everybody. When you’re weighing up how to make the decision that’s right for you, talk to your Occupational Health service at work, if you have one. Otherwise, talk to your GP. Either one will help you to make the right choices for a safe and speedy recovery.