However, 1 year after surgery, there were few
differences in pain or disability between the two
groups.29 The trial also showed that 39% of patients
initially assigned to conservative therapy
required surgery after a median of 14 weeks of
pain, and in a 5-year follow-up study, an additional
7% requested surgery.3
One may conclude that
surgery produces faster pain relief and accelerates
improvement in mobility but that postponement
of surgery to determine whether pain will
abate is appropriate. It is not known whether delaying
surgery in persons with weakness reduces
the chance of full recovery or allows time for weakness
to resolve