Yes, a lumbar disc herniation can recur after surgery. This does not happen in every patient, however, and it does not mean that the operation has failed.
Why Can It Recur?
In surgery for disc herniation, the fragment of disc pressing on the nerve is removed and the nerve is relieved. Because the whole disc is not removed, it remains possible for a further fragment to protrude at the same level over time.
What Is the Risk of Recurrence?
A large systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2026, covering more than 52,000 patients, found the rate of recurrent lumbar disc herniation after surgery to be approximately 13%. Another meta-analysis reported a mean recurrence rate of 13.1%, with a mean interval to recurrence of approximately 24 months.
Broadly speaking, then, the herniation does not recur in the great majority of patients who undergo surgery; but in approximately one patient in eight to ten a further herniation may develop over time.
Who Is at Greater Risk of Recurrence?
Scientific studies have associated the following with an increased risk of recurrence:
- diabetes;
- smoking;
- a high body mass index;
- certain structural features of the disc.
The findings of these studies are not entirely consistent, however, and the structure of the patient’s disc and individual characteristics also matter.
Stopping smoking, maintaining an appropriate weight and returning to daily life and exercise in a controlled manner as advised by the physician after surgery are all important for the health of the spine in general.
Does Returning Pain Mean the Herniation Has Recurred?
No. A recurrence is not the only reason for back or leg pain that returns months or years after surgery. Musculoskeletal pain, other degenerative changes in the spine, and various conditions at the site of the operation may give rise to similar complaints.
Where pain radiating from the buttock down the leg, numbness or loss of power returns as it was before the operation, assessment by examination and, where necessary, MRI is undertaken.
Moreover, a recurrence of the herniation does not necessarily mean that a further operation will be required. Treatment is planned individually according to the severity of the symptoms, the neurological examination and the imaging findings.
In Short
A lumbar disc herniation may recur after surgery, but this does not happen in the great majority of patients. Where pain returns, the first step is to determine whether it does in fact arise from a further herniation.
For detailed information on the diagnosis, follow-up and surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation, see the Lumbar Disc Herniation page.
References
- Abdel-Fattah et al., Acta Orthopaedica Belgica, 2023
- Preoperative Clinical and Radiographic Risk Factors for Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, 2026