I have a slipped disc (clearly visible on a recent xray and c-t scan) which probably has been with me for many years, I am male and now 71. Over the past six months the pain has got worse and I am now unable to walk for more than a few minutes without the pain returning; and then I have to sit to relieve the pain. After a few minutes I can carry on for another short walk. I fear the condition is getting worse. I have been advised that an operation would fix the problem, but I am anxious about this as sometimes I have heard that such operations can make matters works. Is there an alternative way to tackle this problem?
I feel surgical decompression is the gold standard of treatment for your problem. With surgery by an expert hand in optimal body condition, satisfactory ancillary preoperative investigations in hand, result is usually rewarding.