A study published in the Journal Orthopedics and written by doctors at the Department of Neurosurgery, Innsbruck, Austria examined sports activity after undergoing discectomy for herniated discs.

The study only looked at younger patients, aged between 20 and 35, with a median age of 30.

They did not consider patients who had other back problems in addition to their herniated discs.

67 patients were in the study, which was done on average 3 years after surgery. All patients showed a reduction in pain. At follow-up, no patient needed constant pain medication.

Sixty-two patients performed some kind of sport after surgery. Eighty-two percent of the patients were pain free during sports.

Their conclusion. "Single-level lumbar disk surgery does not limit sport participation in young patients."