Objective: To perform a retrospective analysis of patients with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine undergoing arthrodesis or lumbar arthroplasty in terms of functional capacity and quality of life. Methods: Retrospective observational study analyzing the medical records of patients undergoing arthrodesis or lumbar arthroplasty, followed-up at an outpatient clinic from 2018 to 2020. Patient characteristics were evaluated; the quality of life through the results of the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) and the functional capacity using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) in the pre-surgical and post-surgical periods (6 months, 1 and 2 years). The criterion to establish statistical significance was p≤0.05. Results: Sixty-one patients were evaluated. After the surgical interventions, the individuals migrated from the classification of invalid (61.4%-64.6%) to minimal/moderate disability (17.7%-25.6%). There was a decline in ODI scores over time of follow-up (p≤0.001) as well as in SF-36 values (p≤0.001) for all surgical techniques. In this regard, evaluating the difference in means revealed the better performance of lumbar arthroplasty (p≤0.001). Conclusion: The data suggest that lumbar arthroplasty offers greater benefits to patients regarding functional capacity and quality of life. Level of Evidence III; Retrospective, descriptive, observational study.