Stephens Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln was recovering at home in Arkansas after undergoing back surgery on Monday, her office said this morning.

Lincoln, D-Ark., had outpatient surgery in Memphis for a herniated disc in her upper back.   The two-hour procedure was performed at the Semmes-Murphey Neurologic & Spine Institute, according to spokeswoman Katie Laning Niebaum.

“She is doing well,” Laning Niebaum said. “She is staying with her family.”

Congress is on a weeklong recess, and Lincoln expects to return to a limited schedule of work when the Senate resumes next week. In the meantime, Lincoln has canceled her public schedule for this week.

The surgery was performed at the Memphis clinic by Dr. Clarence Watridge, who treated Lincoln for a shoulder injury in 1995, Laning Niebaum said. The latest surgery involved filing off the protruding disc that was pinching a back nerve, she said.

Lincoln, 48, started feeling back pains a few weeks ago while on a flight, her spokeswoman said. While in Washington last week, Lincoln underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedure. The results were sent to Watridge for diagnosis.