Currently, spine surgery is undergoing a revolution in the way certain surgeries are performed.

Neurosurgeon Jaime Alvarez explains that "When a disc herniates out, it goes backwards into the side and pinches a nerve."

Neurosurgeon Douglas Savage says that where you feel the pain depends on where the nerve gets pinched. "Basically when someone has a pinched nerve in their neck that's causing pain down one or both arms."

Dr. Alvarez says that when you have a pinched nerve in your lower back the pain usually radiates down the leg. It can be a slight discomfort or it can even interfere with regular daily activities. "I've seen burly weight lifters come in to my office crying in pain because any movement, any type of activity causes excruciating, burning, electrical pain going down their leg."

Dr. Alvarez says that for those people where their pinched nerve in their lower back is causing such debilitating pain, physicians may turn to surgery to provide relief. A micro-disectomy is one of those surgical options and it involves the use of an operating microscope. "Which allows us to create a small channel in the bone that provides access for us to remove that piece of disc that has herniated out while gently manipulating the nerve and minimizing the amount of trauma that you produce on the nerve."

A micro-disectomy offers hope for people who are experiencing such severe pain and weakness that it has become disabling and conservative treatments and less invasive therapies have failed.

In general, if a patient's leg pain due to a herniated disc is going to get better, it will do so in about six to twelve weeks. If you still have pain after that, you should be seeing your physician.