I know this is an old post but I still wanted to reply because I had this procedure done to my L3-4 disc last Sep 07 and it was a success! I had to wear a tortoise shell type brace during the day for 6 weeks and and soft one at night and then the soft one for a couple of weeks after that and that was it. I still had some soreness for a couple of months but it cleared up completely.
Just thought I put that out there in case anyone was interested. I did have a grade 4 annuluar tear prior to the procedure. Sure beats getting it fused!
Cathy
