I was diagnosed with herniated disc in my lower and my doctor says i need surgery so how long is recovery?

Talk to doc.: The type of surgery will dictate the recovery. Your doc should be able to give you a good estimate.

Varies: Open discectomy a bit longer. In my practice i perform minimally invasive surgery whereby I use a 1.5-2 cm incision and dialate the muscles and use a tubular retractor (metrx). Back to work in 3-7 days, walking hours after surgery, no lifting greater than 25 lbs or axial loading maneuvers - jogging, squats, military press x 6 weeks. Folks with jobs that require significant manual labor- off 6 w.