BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Herniated disc is a common pathology, affecting about 5 to 10 cases per 1000 adults annually. A conservative or a surgical approach to treatment can be adopted. The present study's objective was to evaluate each of these approaches. CONTENTS: An integrative literature review was carried out, aiming to understand which treatment provides greater benefits in the short, medium, and long term for patients with low back disc herniation. Of the 4941 articles found, 4852 were excluded by title, 75 by abstract and 14 were selected for the study. Of these 14 studies, 10 considered the conservative approach more beneficial to patients, while 4 considered the surgical conduct more beneficial. CONCLUSION: Surgical treatment is a good option for those cases in which patients have debilitating pain and need rapid pain relief. However, in the long run, there is no superiority of surgery over conservative treatment.