Lumbar Disk Herniation and Degenerative Disk Disease in Athletes

This work reviews the epidemiology, evaluation, treatment, and return-to-play guidelines for athletes with degenerative disk disease and herniated nucleus pulposus. Although most athletes with degenerative disk disease and herniated nucleus pulposus improve with conservative treatment, athletes with persistent symptoms may benefit from lumbar discectomy surgery. Lumbar interbody spinal fusion or disk-replacement surgery should only be considered after all other treatment options have been exhausted. Although some general consensus exists, return-to-play guidelines for the athlete with lumbar degenerative disk disease or disk herniation are not well-defined and require further investigation.