SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2011
Surgery versus conservative management of sciatica due to a lumbar herniated disc: a systematic review.
Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04273828 (Impact of Muscle Degeneration in Chronic Ow Back Pain in Patients Undergoing Neural Decompression), which is not on this map. Cited by 136 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Impact of Muscle Degeneration in Chronic Ow Back Pain in Patients Undergoing Neural Decompression
Who cites it
136 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 372 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Genome-wide meta-analysis conducted in three large biobanks expands the genetic landscape of lumbar disc herniations.Nature communications · 2024Pooled it
- How effective are physiotherapy interventions in treating people with sciatica? A systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Pooled it
- The efficacy and safety of condoliase for lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- The efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trails.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Does Workers' Compensation Status Affect Outcomes after Lumbar Spine Surgery? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Eight Surgical Interventions for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Network Meta-Analysis on Complications.Frontiers in surgery · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The utility of diagnostic selective nerve root blocks in the management of patients with lumbar radiculopathy: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2019Pooled it
- Safe Use of Epidural Corticosteroid Injections: Recommendations of the WIP Benelux Work Group.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2019Guideline
- Surgery or physical activity in the management of sciatica: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2016Pooled it
- Clinical significance of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors in the treatment of sciatica: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2014Pooled it
- Surgical techniques for sciatica due to herniated disc, a systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2012Pooled it
- Biomechanical Comparisons of Two Types of Tuina in Treating Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Finite Element Analysis.Pain research & management · 2026Trial
- Nonsurgical treatment outcomes for surgical candidates with lumbar disc herniation: a comprehensive cohort study.Scientific reports · 2021Trial
- Stratified versus usual care for the management of primary care patients with sciatica: the SCOPiC RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2020Trial
- Effectiveness of Lumbar Facet Joint Blocks and Predictive Value before Radiofrequency Denervation: The Facet Treatment Study (FACTS), a Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.Anesthesiology · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Does early intervention improve outcomes in physiotherapy management of lumbar radicular syndrome? A mixed-methods study protocol.BMJ open · 2017Trial
- Low intensity laser and LED therapies associated with lateral decubitus position and flexion exercises of the lower limbs in patients with lumbar disk herniation: clinical randomized trial.Lasers in medical science · 2016Trial
76 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The effectiveness of surgery in patients with sciatica due to lumbar disc herniations is not without dispute. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of surgery versus conservative therapy (including epidural injections) for patients with sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation. A comprehensive search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and PEDro up to October 2009. Randomised controlled trials of adults with lumbar radicular pain, which evaluated at least one clinically relevant outcome measure (pain, functional status, perceived recovery, lost days of work) were included. Two authors assessed risk of bias according to Cochrane criteria and extracted the data. In total, five studies were identified, two of which with a low risk of bias. One study compared early surgery with prolonged conservative care followed by surgery if needed; three studies compared surgery with usual conservative care, and one study compared surgery with epidural injections. Data were not pooled because of clinical heterogeneity and poor reporting of data. One large low-risk-of-bias trial demonstrated that early surgery in patients with 6-12 weeks of radicular pain leads to faster pain relief when compared with prolonged conservative treatment, but there were no differences after 1 and 2 years. Another large low-risk-of-bias trial between surgery and usual conservative care found no statistically significant differences on any of the primary outcome measures after 1 and 2 years. Future studies should evaluate who benefits more from surgery and who from conservative care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.