Is there any harm in having the inside of a protruding disc removed? My doctor has suggested I consider having this kind of a procedure. I’ve been told there’s a good chance it could ease my back and leg pain.

Disc removal can take several forms. Discectomy is the complete removal of the entire disc. The disc is made up of two distinct parts. The inner gel-like core is the nucleus pulposus. The tough fibrous outer covering is called the annulus. When both parts are removed, the patient often has a spinal fusion at that site to prevent the area from collapsing.

Sometimes the surgeon just removes any torn pieces or fragment of the disc. In another procedure called a nucleoplasty, just the inner core is taken out. All of these operations fall under the broad category of surgical decompression techniques for disc protrusion.

The surgical decompression procedure is relatively safe when it is performed by a trained and experienced surgeon. There’s always a risk of infection with any type of operation. Nucleoplasty is no different. Antibiotics may be used before, during, and after the operation to prevent infection.

Because a needle is used to remove the disc material, there can be some residual soreness where the needle was inserted. If the needle punctures a nerve or blood vessel, there can be some nerve damage or prolonged bleeding. If heat is used as part of the procedure to destroy disc material, there can be damage to the nerve or end-plate (next to the disc).

Some patients report an increase in their back and/or leg pain and numbness. There may even be new areas of back pain that develop. These symptoms are temporary and go away within the first two weeks after the procedure. And in the worst case scenario, it’s possible that the heat probe used to destroy disc material could come in contact with the normal, healthy annulus.