Objective To explore the effects of different volumes of nucleus pulposus resected resection strategies on surgical efficacy and postoperative recurrence rate during full-endoscopic lumbar discectomy, thereby providing a basis for optimizing clinical surgical procedures.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 476 patients with single-segment lumbar disc herniation who underwent full-endoscopic lumbar discectomy from January 2019 to January 2024. All patients were diagnosed based on symptoms, physical signs, and MRI examinations. Patients with multi-segmental lesions, spinal stenosis, or a history of previous surgery were excluded. According to the intraoperative volume of nucleus pulposus resected, the patients were divided into two groups. Appropriate resection group (n = 241): adopted the technique of “precise removal of herniated nucleus pulposus + limited debridement of degenerated nucleus pulposus”. Only the herniated nucleus pulposus compressing the nerves and part of the obviously degenerated, loose nucleus pulposus were removed, while normal nucleus pulposus tissue was preserved. Excessive resection group (n = 235): removed both the herniated nucleus pulposus and a large amount of normal nucleus pulposus tissue. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and incidence of postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Additionally, outpatient rechecks and telephone follow-ups were conducted for 18 months to collect data on lumbar spine function, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, and recurrence rate.Results The appropriate resection group exhibited shorter operative duration and less intraoperative blood loss compared with the excessive resection group, with both differences reaching statistical significance (P < 0.05). No statistically significant intergroup difference was observed in the incidence of postoperative complications within 6 months after surgery (P = 0.668). The recurrence rates of the appropriate resection group were markedly lower than those of the excessive resection group at both 12 and 18 months postoperatively, the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Comparisons of VAS scores and ODI between the two patient groups at different time points showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05).Conclusion During full-endoscopic lumbar discectomy, the technique of precisely controlling the volume of nucleus pulposus resected can relieve nerve compression while preserving normal nucleus pulposus tissue. This approach not only shortens the operative time and reduces blood loss but also significantly lowers the postoperative recurrence rate, and has certain clinical application value.