Lumbar spine surgery covers a spectrum of procedures for the lower back — discectomy for herniated discs, decompression for canal stenosis, and instrumented fusion for instability. The lower back carries the body's load, and the guiding principle is proportionality: the least invasive operation that solves the actual problem, and no surgery at all when conservative care can do the job.
Conditions treated with lumbar surgery
Disc herniations causing persistent sciatica, lumbar canal stenosis limiting walking, unstable spondylolisthesis, foot drop from nerve compression, and selected cases of recurrent disc disease or deformity. Each has distinct surgical answers — and distinct thresholds for recommending surgery in the first place.
Discectomy — endoscopic and microscopic
For a herniated disc compressing a nerve root, removal of the offending fragment reliably relieves leg pain. Depending on the fragment's size and position, this is performed endoscopically through a sub-centimetre portal or microscopically through a 2–3 cm incision — both muscle-sparing, both typically same-day walking, with the technique chosen to fit your anatomy.
Decompression for stenosis
Canal stenosis narrowing the nerves' passage is treated by removing the thickened ligament and overgrown bone — endoscopically, through tubular retractors, or by open technique in extensive multi-level disease. Preserving the midline structures protects stability, and fusion is added only when genuine instability coexists.
Fusion — when and why
Instrumented fusion joins vertebrae with screws and cages. It is genuinely indicated for unstable spondylolisthesis, deformity, trauma and selected revision situations — and genuinely not indicated for routine disc herniations or stable stenosis. A clear explanation of why fusion is or is not proposed for you is part of every surgical discussion.
Choosing a lumbar spine surgeon
Ask what happens without surgery, why this specific procedure, and what the surgeon's experience with it is. Dr. Arun Reddy M — DNB Neurosurgeon, fellowship-trained in endoscopic spine surgery, 18 years of experience — consults at CARE Hospitals, HITEC City (Gachibowli) by day and Indi Spine-Brain Neuro Care, Madinaguda in the evenings. MRI review is available through this website.