Sometimes a disc herniation can cause compression of the spinal cord itself, without involving any of the spinal nerves. Fortunately, this is an uncommon occurrence. This is often not painful at all, but can cause numbness in both hands, difficulty with fine movements (buttoning, writing, and typing), hand weakness, and problems with walking. Similar problems can also result from compression of the spinal cord by arthritic bone spurs, though in these cases the symptoms progress much more gradually. Patients with spinal cord compression most often need to have surgery if their symptoms are significant. This problem is generally NOT amenable to conservative treatment. It is important to realize that the surgical procedure relieves pressure on the spinal cord, but does not make the symptoms better; this depends on the body’s ability to heal the damage done by the pressure, and is a process that can take weeks of months. The less severe the symptoms are when the surgery is performed, the greater the chance of recovery.