[Lumbar intervertebral disk displacement. Results of conservative treatment]

Among 120 patients with lumbar disk prolapse treated conservatively over a seven-year period, 72 patients were submitted to follow-up examination, and questionnaires completed by 92 patients were evaluated. Some 23.8% of the patients reported freedom from pain following treatment in hospital. Sciatica cleared up in 43.2%. After discharge from hospital, the average working time lost in 54 patients was 11.1 weeks. Ninety-five percent of the patients reported a return to work within one year. Eighty percent were able to return to their original workplaces. Some 73.8% of the patients surveyed were satisfied or very satisfied with the results of treatment. With respect to sensory disorders 37%, and with respect to paresis 32%, of the patients, reported improvement. Overall, the general and local symptoms, such as changes in gait and posture, percussion pain and tenderness, all showed an appreciably greater tendency to regress than did the neurological deficits.