Lumbar disc issues are generally treated for a much longer period conservatively prior to surgery, unless you have a "hard" neurologic deficit like a foot drop or an infection like Raj's - then it's urgent laminectomy and decompression.
Many people have lumbar herniations and treat them conservatively.... i would at least do the initial series of ESI's to see if they will work, as well as the PT. Insurance guidelines that I've seen call for 6 months of conservative therapy prior to a lumbar ADR as opposed to 6 weeks for cervical. Also, your response to ESI's may help guide where you go from here... I personally had a total of what, 7 ESI's prior to my lumbar ADR, and it was never brought up as an issue by a surgeon.
If you're having more leg pain then back pain, a microdiscectomy is a reasonable first step. it's less likely to take care of back pain though, b/c it's just removing what is pushing on the spinal nerves.
So I hate to break it to ya, but you're probably looking a a longer process than w/ your cervical issue. There are a lot of people who successfully treat lumbar herniations conservatively as opposed to cervical ones, so that's promising. You want surgery to be the absolute last option!!!
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The content herein represents my professional thought and opinions in a general sense only; they do not constitute professional advice or services. if you need medical advice, please consult a licensed physician.
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