My doctor says I need surgery for my herniated disc. Is this Ok?

If you can help it- avoid surgery. However, sometimes there is no choice if there is severe nerve compression. In any case, the decision to undergo surgery is complex and needs to be thoroughly discussed with the surgeon. You need to get a surgeon who is more interested in your back than the money. Plus, the surgeon must be competent. Thirdly, check out the surgeon’s experience and record. Ask to talk to his/her former patients. And most important, get to know the procedure and its possible complications. Surgery for back pain has a very poor track record of success. In the entire USA, you are not likely to meet more than a handful of people who will claim that their back surgery was satisfactory. Not only are some back surgeons terrible, they also do not really care about their outcomes.