I am going to have surgery to take out a disc in my low back. What will replace the disc?

It is common for medical people to describe discectomies as “removing a disc.” But usually only a small piece is removed from the outer ring of the disc (the annulus) or from the middle of the disc (the nucleus pulposus). Scar tissues then fills that area.

In some fusion surgeries, the disc is completely removed. It is usually replaced by a bone graft or a metal cage.