Re: when is surgery necessary for low back pain?

First of all, surgery is sometimes but not always necessary with a herniated disc.
You can research articles as early as a month ago which confirm this. There are conservative measures which may benefit. I would suggest to continue with chirorpactic only seek one who uses a specific technique called flexion-distraction.
It is specific for the application of disc problems. What generally happens is that the disc, or some other structure surrounding the area where the nerves exit the spine, irritates the nerve root and creates pain and/or problems with function; like bladder or bowel control. The flexion-distraction technique seperates the areas allowing the disc to move away from the nerve root. It is a slow and gradual process that may require several visits. There is no potion or elixer that will cause the disc to magically heal. The disc is cartilage. Not that nutritional support won't help but it will not cause the disc to magically repair. Sorry.
Since your body heals itself and doctors ony guide the direction of healing you may benefit overall health by cutting out the fast foods, Sugar and the junk foods which make the body work harder to heal. Veggies, fruits, meats, fish are the good stuff. Avoid grain products and grain oils in general.

Most important of al. If ony pain exists I would avoid back surgery. If there is a loss of what is called "motor function", like ability to use muscles, lift leg, control bladder or bowel, and the flexion-distraction does not help after a month, seek out a good neurosurgeon. MRI is a useful diagnositic tool but remember it does not fix anything. Tweet