At least 5% of our population is affected by neck and lower back spinal disc diseases that cause pain, disability and loss of income.

When nonsurgical treatment fails, doctors sometimes recommend surgery. Traditional procedures to remove herniated disc material, called “open” discectomies, are already done through “relatively small incisions.”

The researchers reviewed existing trials and found that while minimally invasive procedures can lower recovery time and pain, they don’t improve patients’ long-term function or reduce their long-term pain compared to traditional open discectomy.

Moreover, minimally invasive procedures require extra training and equipment, and there are more risks for technical complications, the researchers found.