Predictive Factors for Outcomes Following Surgical Treatment of Lumbar Disc Herniation.

Background: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common cause of radicular pain with an annual incidence between 5 and 20 cases per 1000 adults. LDH is typically treated by microdiscectomy, of which more than 300,000 are performed in the United States each year. Despite this frequency, 25% to 33% of patients report poor surgical outcomes.