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Call: (713)766-2596

A herniated disc does not automatically mean you need surgery. Many discs heal on their own. But wait too long in the wrong situation, and a compressed nerve can suffer damage that never fully recovers. The hard part is knowing which situation you are actually in.

In this video, I'm going to walk you through exactly how I decide when it makes sense to keep waiting on a herniated disc and sciatica, and when the signs point toward surgery instead.

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Do you actually need surgery for a herniated disc 0:35 Why your MRI report alone can't answer that question 1:12 Matching your symptoms to what the MRI actually shows 1:40 Why pain alone is a misleading way to judge progress 2:35 Why nerve function matters more than pain scores 3:19 A common scenario where waiting makes sense 4:10 When weakness changes the whole decision 4:47 How long should you actually wait before surgery 6:39 Emergency red flags that mean don't wait at all 7:26 Real patient case, when waiting stopped making sense

QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q: How long should I wait before considering surgery for a herniated disc? A: There is no fixed number of weeks. What matters most is whether your strength, walking, and nerve function are improving or getting worse, not whether you have hit a specific timeline like four or six weeks.

Q: Does a herniated disc always require fusion surgery? A: No. Most straightforward herniated discs pressing on one nerve only need the piece causing pressure removed, similar to taking a rock out of a shoe rather than replacing the whole shoe.

Q: What symptoms mean I should not wait any longer for a herniated disc? A: Worsening leg weakness, spreading numbness, stumbling, or any loss of bowel or bladder control are signs that need urgent evaluation rather than more waiting.

RESOURCES Website: https://www.myposhcare.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GL8e1tSKY/?mibextid=wwXIfr IG: https://www.instagram.com/drleonardkibuule LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/premier-orthopedics-spine-health/

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Have you been told you need surgery for a herniated disc? Tell me where you are in your decision in the comments, I read them.

ABOUT DR. LEONARD KIBUULE Dr. Leonard Kibuule, MD, MBA, FAAOS, is a board certified orthopedic spine surgeon in Houston, Texas, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine disorders. He is fellowship trained in spine surgery and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Dr. Kibuule considers himself a spine specialist first and a surgeon second. His job is not to find an operation for every patient, it is to determine what is actually causing the problem and identify the most effective way to restore function and quality of life. He has trained hundreds of surgeons in minimally invasive spine techniques and leads Premier Orthopedics & Spine Health, where care is built around thoughtful, individualized decision making rather than one size fits all treatment.

#HerniatedDisc #Sciatica #SpineSurgeon #BackPainRelief #SpineHealth