Table 3.

Pain reduction, return-to-work rate, and analgesic use among the first 66 cases and the last 66 cases with comparable follow-up data

	Early cases	Late cases	p value
Patients, n	66	66
Lower back pain reduction, median (IQR)	3.8 (1.5–6.0)	3.5 (1.5–5.9)	0.83
Leg pain reduction, median (IQR)	5.0 (2.6–7.5)	5.0 (2.5–7.9)	0.84
Return-to-work ratea, %	84.1	89.1	0.55
Less analgesic use, %	74.2	83.3	0.20

^aIncluding patients working full time, part time, or on sick leave leading up to surgery. Patients excluded were either retired or not in job leading up to surgery

n number, IQR interquartile range