Table 1.
Baseline and follow-up characteristics of patients with sciatica
| Patient characteristics | Early surgery (n=141) | Conservative treatment (n=142) |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | ||
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 41.6 (10.0) | 43.3 (9.6) |
| Male sex | 89 (63) | 97 (68) |
| Mean (SD) BMI | 25.9 (4.1) | 25.5 (3.3) |
| Mean (SD) duration of sciatica (weeks) | 9.43 (2.37) | 9.48 (2.11) |
| Took sick leave from work | 107 (76) | 116 (82) |
| Mean (SD) duration of sick leave (weeks) | 5.32 (2.78) | 5.28 (2.62) |
| Left sided leg pain | 67 (48) | 73 (51) |
| Positive straight leg raising test (SLR) | 100 (71) | 104 (73) |
| Positive crossed SLR | 71 (50) | 70 (49) |
| Dermatomal sensory loss | 123 (87) | 128 (90) |
| Dermatomal anaesthesia | 31 (22) | 33 (23) |
| Dermatomal muscle weakness | 93 (66) | 99 (70) |
| Knee tendon reflex difference | 54 (38) | 51 (36) |
| Ankle tendon reflex difference | 75 (53) | 107 (75) |
| Clinically suspected level of herniated disc | – | – |
| L3–L4 | 6 (4) | 4 (3) |
| L4–L5 | 65 (46) | 52 (37) |
| L5–S1 | 70 (50) | 86 (61) |
| Preference for conservative treatment | 42 (30) | 43 (30) |
| Mean (SD) RD score | 16.5 (4.4) | 16.3 (3.9) |
| Mean (SD) VAS score | – | – |
| Leg pain | 67.3 (19.6) | 64.3 (21.2) |
| Back pain | 34.0 (29.6) | 30.8 (27.7) |
| Mean (SD) SF-36 scores | – | – |
| Bodily pain | 21.9 (16.6) | 23.9 (18.1) |
| Physical functioning | 33.9 (19.6) | 34.6 (19.0) |
| Surgical treatment during follow-up | ||
| Surgery performed in first year | 125 (89) | 55 (39) |
| Surgery performed during 2 years | 125 (89) | 62 (44) |
| Surgery performed during 5 years | 125 (89) | 66 (46) |
| Recurrent disc surgery after 5 years | 9 (6) | 8 (6) |
| Follow-up | 9 of 125 (7) | 8 of 66 (12) |
| Patients requiring two reoperations or more | 0 | 3 |
| Patients who dropped out during 5 year | 26 (18) | 26 (18) |
Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise.
BMI, body mass index; VAS, visual analogue scale.