Introduction: Disc herniation in the lumbosacral region is the cause of chronic low back pain in 10% of cases. Pressure on the nerve roots can cause pain, impair myotatic reflexes and cause muscle weakness. Treatment is conservative or surgical. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to compare the effectiveness of conservative and surgical treatment and different types of conservative treatment of patients with chronic intervertebral disc herniation in the lumbosacral region of the spine by reviewing the scientific and professional literature. Methods. The selected studies met the following inclusion criteria: English-language articles published in the period 2020–2023, clinical studies, randomised controlled trials and studies including patients with disc herniation in the lumbosacral region of the spine. Results: A literature review included six studies. Two studies compared surgical and conservative treatment, three studies compared different types of conservative treatment and one study compared the cost-effectiveness of surgical and conservative treatment. The studies found statistically and clinically significant differences. In the groups with surgical treatment, there was a greater reduction in pain in the lower back and legs than in the groups with conservative treatment in the first six months, but after twelve or twenty-four months, there were no significant differences in the reduction of pain between the groups. All types of conservative treatment reduced pain and improved functional ability. A combination of different techniques has proven to be more successful than a single technique.Discussion and conclusion: Both conservative and surgical treatments are successful in reducing pain and improving mobility. Surgical treatment is more successful in the short term, but in the long term the outcomes of surgical and conservative treatment are comparable. In the future, more research is needed to monitor the long-term results.
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