Table 1.
Patient Baseline Demographic Characteristics, Comorbid Conditions, Clinical Findings, and Health Status Measures*
| Patients, No. (%) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Surgery (n = 232) | Nonoperative Treatment (n = 240) | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 41.7 (11.8) | 43 (11.3) |
| Women | 101 (44) | 93 (39) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| Non-Hispanic | 223 (96) | 225 (94) |
| White | 197 (85) | 202 (84) |
| At least some college education | 171 (74) | 184 (77) |
| Income <$50 000 | 93 (40) | 114 (48) |
| Married | 161 (69) | 171 (71) |
| Employment status | ||
| Full-time or part-time | 142 (61) | 148 (62) |
| Disabled | 27 (12) | 31 (13) |
| Other | 63 (27) | 61 (25) |
| Compensation† | 36 (16) | 40 (17) |
| Body mass index, mean (SD)‡ | 27.8 (5.6) | 28.2 (5.4) |
| Current smoker | 47 (20) | 61 (25) |
| Comorbid conditions | ||
| Depression | 30 (13) | 32 (13) |
| Joint problem | 50 (22) | 47 (20) |
| Other§ | 101 (44) | 120 (50) |
| <6 mo since recent episode | 189 (81) | 183 (76) |
| Dermatomal pain radiation | 223 (96) | 234 (98) |
| Pain with straight-leg raise | ||
| Ipsilateral | 143 (62) | 147 (61) |
| Contralateral/both | 32 (14) | 35 (15) |
| Any neurologic deficit | 170 (73) | 177 (74) |
| Reflexes—asymmetrical depressed | 96 (41) | 96 (40) |
| Sensory—asymmetrical decrease | 104 (45) | 118 (49) |
| Motor—asymmetric weakness | 97 (42) | 93 (39) |
| Herniation level∥ | ||
| L2-3/L3-4 | 16 (7) | 16 (7) |
| L4-5 | 80 (34) | 85 (35) |
| L5-S1 | 136 (59) | 138 (57) |
| Herniation type | ||
| Protruding | 59 (25) | 67 (28) |
| Extruded | 156 (67) | 157 (65) |
| Sequestered | 17 (7) | 15 (6) |
| Posterolateral herniation | 182 (78) | 195 (81) |
| SF-36 score, mean (SD)¶ | ||
| Bodily pain | 27.1 (18.5) | 26.7 (17.4) |
| Physical function | 39.7 (24.9) | 39.2 (25.7) |
| Mental component summary | 46.3 (12.1) | 45.5 (11.9) |
| Oswestry Disability Index, mean (SD)# | 47.5 (21.4) | 46.3 (20.6) |
| Sciatica indices, mean (SD)# | ||
| Frequency | 15.8 (5.5) | 15.4 (5.5) |
| Bothersomeness | 15.4 (5.1) | 15 (5.3) |
| Satisfaction with symptoms: very dissatisfied | 184 (79) | 185 (77) |
| Patient self-assessed health trend | ||
| Problem getting better | 42 (18) | 48 (20) |
| Problem staying about the same | 108 (47) | 112 (47) |
| Problem getting worse | 82 (35) | 79 (33) |
Abbreviation: SF-36, Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey.
All between-group differences nonsignificant at the ≥.05 level.
Receiving workers' compensation, social security compensation, or other compensation, or application(s) pending.
Calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.
Indicates problems related to stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol, drug dependency, heart, lung, liver, kidney, blood vessel, nervous system, hypertension, migraine, anxiety, stomach, bowel.
The diagnoses for approximately 97% of patients were evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging and 3% with computed tomography.
Higher score indicates less severe symptoms. Range, 0-100.
Lower score indicates less severe symptoms. Range for Oswestry Disability Index, 0-100; for sciatica indices, 0-24.