<s>[INST] I have been having lower back pain for 5 yrs , had MRI in 2007, showed herniated disc between L4&L5, Dr suggested therapy , had therapy for the last 5 yrs, last couple months, gotten worse, another MRI, Dr Suggested surgery to fuse vertebras together, I Can t decide what to do, is fusion safe, will it deteriate other discs, because of more stress . I need some help to what to do? [/INST] Hi, there are basically two kinds of surgery done for chronic disc problems i.e. only decompression -when the leg pain is more than back pain and decompression with fusion when back pain is equal or more significant than leg pain Any chronic disc problem should be treated with surgery only when all option of conservative management are exhausted i.e. taken the lot of analgesics continuously for more than 6 weeks, exhausted with physiotherapy. It is true that other disc are at increased risk, but it takes quite a long time for the other discs to degenerate. Fusion is more of concern only in young age and obese individuals </s>