Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| PEEK | PLDLLA | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age years (range) | 44 (20–69) | 53 (39–67) | 0.085 |
| Female sex no. (%) | 6 (50%) | 13 (92%) | 0.126 |
| Current smoker no. (%) | 54 | 38 | 0.452 |
| Radiating pain | |||
| Left leg no. | 7 | 8 | 0.632 |
| Right leg no. | 10 | 9 | 0.261 |
| Lumbar segment affected | |||
| L4–L5 | 2 | 5 | 0.130 |
| L5–S1 | 11 | 7 | 0.130 |
| L6–S1 | 1 | ||
| VAS scores | |||
| For back pain | 6.5 (SD 2.0) | 5.6 (SD 2.2) | 0.210 |
| For leg pain | 4.9 (SD 2.5) | 4.5 (SD 2.5) | 0.833 |
| Oswestry Disability Index | 23 (SD 6) | 18 (SD 7) | 0.542 |
| SF-36 scores | |||
| PCS | 27 (SD 10) | 35 (SD 7) | 0.029 |
| MCS | 45 (SD 11) | 47 (SD 9) | 0.683 |