Table 1 Criteria for inclusion and exclusion of studies

Population

16 years or older, male and female

Intervention

Lumbar and lumbosacral standard open discectomy or microdiscectomy

Single one level

Primary operation with no previous history of other lumbar spine surgery

Prognostic factors

Intensity of back/leg pain

Pre-operative duration of back/leg pain

Healh related quality of life

Range of movement

Motor deficit

Sensory deficit

SLR

Walking distance

Disability

Study design

Prospective cohort studies

≥1 year follow up

Population

History of previous back operation

Extraspinal cause of low back and/or leg pain

Trauma, vertebral fractures, arthritis or metabolic bone disease, scoliosis, spondylolysis, spondlylolisthesis, spinal stenosis or any other notable non-intervertebral disc abnormalities, trauma, rapid progressive motor deficit, cauda equina syndrome

Intervention

Any other lumbar surgical management

Lumbar discectomy combined with other surgery

Study design

Studies not published in English language