Although the prevalence of lumbar disc herniation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies reaches 30%, it clinically affects only 1-2% of the people throughout their life. Symptomatic lumbar disc herniation is more common in male and during the fourth and fifth decades of life. Natural history usually begins with a fluctuating low back pain (LBP) that eventually radiates to one of the lower extremities. The pain usually spreads below the knee.
Nonoperative treatment for four to six weeks is usually effective in 70% of the affected patients. In those cases with refractory complains, most authors prefer surgical discectomy to conservative treatment. The aim of this study is to assess the surgical outcome of lumbar disc herniation based on preoperative sciatalgia duration. It has been hypothesized that preoperative sciatalgia duration has no significant effect on surgical outcome of…
