Bulging, slipped, or herniated discs can occur due to arthritis, trauma, or aging and are a common cause of severe back pain when a nerve is compressed. When conservative treatment options like physical therapy, medication, and rest do not relieve low back pain, your neurosurgeon may recommend lumbar microdiscectomy. It is a minimally invasive surgical procedure which allows for removal of only a portion of the damaged lumbar disc, enlarging the spinal canal, and alleviating the low back pain symptoms. This is typically done on an outpatient basis and patients can go home the same day.