Baseline characteristics of surgery patients (N = 211).
| Characteristic | n (%) |
| Gender | |
| Female | 93 (44.1) |
| Male | 118 (55.9) |
| Age at time of surgery (y), mean (SD) | 42.2 (11.1) |
| Age group | |
| <35 y | 47 (22.3) |
| 35–45 y | 83 (39.3) |
| >45 y | 81 (38.4) |
| Level | |
| L4-L5 | 51 (24.2) |
| L5-S1 | 160 (75.8) |
| Pain, median (IQR) | |
| VAS-backa | 75.0 (55.0–89.0) |
| VAS-leg | 60.0 (17.0–83.0) |
| Disability, median (IQR) | |
| ODIb | 46.0 (34.0–56.0) |
| RMDQc | 16.0 (12.0–19.0) |
Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; ODI, Oswestry Disability Index; RMDQ, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire; VAS, visual analog scale.
Note: Data are presented as n (%) unless otherwise indicated.
↵a The VAS is scored on a 0 (no pain) to 100 (worst pain) scale.
↵b The ODI is scored on a 0 (none) to 100 (worst) disability scale.
↵c The RMDQ is scored on a 0 (none) to 24 (worst) disability scale.