Spinal surgery
If the degeneration at the vertebral column is too advanced, "small measures" usually can't help anymore in the long run. Aches can possibly get better for a short time; nevertheless the problem persists chronically and returns. Given that the reason for the pain in the back and/or in the leg, it is necessary to do an open surgery on the spine. These as well get supported by microsurgery technology, as well as in a minimally invasive way. Nevertheless, they leave scars behind, and the patient requires a long recovery time and a regular physiotherapy. Sadly, there is no guarantee for a total recovery. The aim is to decrease the pain and to lower the consumption of pain killers.
Therefore, it is sometimes strongly advised to act as soon as possible (in terms of a surgery, for example) and do "small repairs" before any problem gets "too big" - similar to the car, where sometimes the change of a seal is sufficient to prevent a subsequent engine failure.