SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2020
The incidence of regression after the non-surgical treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.
- Lumbar disc herniation modelling: a review of ex-vivo mechanical models and a comparison with clinical data.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 · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical efficacy of a Chinese herbal gel plaster combined with manipulation for lumbar disc herniation: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Trial
- Effect of Nonsurgical Spinal Decompression on Intensity of Pain and Herniated Disc Volume in Subacute Lumbar Herniated Disc.International journal of clinical practice · 2022Trial
- Potential Role of Mast Cells in Intervertebral Disc Ageing, Herniation Resolution, and Degeneration: Evidence and Lessons Learned from Studies of Mast Cells in Other Connective Tissues.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Mechanisms and management of self-resolving lumbar disc herniation: bridging molecular pathways to non-surgical clinical success.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Review
- Effectiveness of Interventional Pain Management on Disc Herniation Resorption: Radiological Evidence.Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH · 2025Article
- Does educating a patient about lumbar disc herniation affect the treatment compliance and outcome? A systematic review.Brain & spine · 2025Article
- Lumbar disc herniation reabsorption: a review of clinical manifestations, mechanisms, and conservative treatments.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Indication and Limitation of Intradiscal Condoliase Injection for Patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation: Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.Spine surgery and related research · 2024Review
- Discectomy for Lumbar Disc Herniation in Pediatric and Adolescent Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Cureus · 2024Review
- Prediction and Mechanisms of Spontaneous Resorption in Lumbar Disc Herniation: Narrative Review.Spine surgery and related research · 2024Review
- The impact of novel inflammation-preserving treatment towards lumbar disc herniation resorption in symptomatic patients: a prospective, multi-imaging and clinical outcomes study.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 · 2024Article
- Article
- Review
- Pediatric lumbar disc herniation: a report of two cases and review of the literature.European journal of medical research · 2022Review
- Curative Effect of Foraminal Endoscopic Surgery and Efficacy of the Wearable Lumbar Spine Protection Equipment in the Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation.Journal of healthcare engineering · 2022Article
- Study on Intelligent Traditional Chinese Medicine Fumigation for Treating Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Herniation Based on Medical Big Data Mining.Contrast media & molecular imaging · 2022Article
- Clinical study of Microendoscopic Discectomy + Fibrous Ring Suture Versus Microendoscopic Discectomy alone in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation in young and middle-aged patients.Pakistan journal of medical sciencesArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAlthough the regression of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation (SLDH) has been widely reported, little data exist regarding the generalized incidence of regression (IR). We aimed to review the varying IRs and to synthesize the pooled IR of non-surgically-treated SLDH.
methodsFour electronic databases were searched for relevant studies pertaining to the regression of SLDH after non-surgical treatment and for potential studies that may have reported morphological changes in lumbar disc herniation in the follow-up results of SLDH patients treated non-surgically. The main outcome was the regression of SLDH. A random effects model was used to determine the pooled IR of SLDH.
resultsWe identified 13,672 articles, 38 of which were eligible for analysis. Our analysis included 2219 non-surgically treated SLDH patients, 1425 of whom presented regression. The pooled IR was 63% (95% CI 0.49-0.77). In subgroup analyses, studies that quantitatively measured the regression of SLDH yielded statistically higher pooled IRs than those that used qualitative methods. The pooled IRs gradually increased in randomized controlled trials and prospective and retrospective studies. The pooled IR varied from 62 to 66% after the sequential omission of any single study. Meta-regression showed that study types, herniation levels and regression measurements caused heterogeneity.
conclusionsWe report an overall IR of 63% among non-surgically treated SLDH patients, thus providing clinical decision makers with quantitative evidence of IR. Based on our systematic review, we suggest a follow-up timeline with time points 4 and 10.5 months after onset when deciding whether to perform surgery for SLDH.
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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.