Comparative Outcomes of Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatment in Patients with Lumbar Radiculopathy: A Six-Month Analysis of Quality of Life and Functional Status

Background/Objectives: Lumbar radiculopathy can be managed non-surgically or surgically; however, comparative changes in quality of life and functional status between these treatment pathways remain clinically relevant. Therefore, this study aimed to compare six-month outcomes in patients treated non-surgically and those treated with lumbar microdiscectomy followed by rehabilitation. Methods: A prospective, non-randomized comparative cohort study included 100 patients with discogenic lumbar radiculopathy: 50 treated non-surgically and 50 treated by lumbar microdiscectomy. Both groups underwent medical rehabilitation and were assessed at admission, three months, and six months using the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), including the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS), and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Results: PCS improved from 35.5 to 50.8 in the non-surgical group and from 28.8 to 49.2 in the surgical group. PCS was significantly higher in non-surgically treated patients at admission (p < 0.001) and three months (p < 0.05), whereas the difference was not significant at six months (p = 0.064). No between-group differences were found for MCS at admission, three months, or six months (p = 0.104, p = 0.871, and p = 0.323, respectively). ODI decreased from 51.5% to 22.5% in the non-surgical group and from 56.1% to 23.7% in the surgical group, without significant between-group differences at any assessment (p = 0.109, p = 0.162, and p = 0.427). Conclusions: Both treatment pathways were associated with substantial improvement. The initial between-group difference in physical quality of life diminished during follow-up, while mental quality of life and disability outcomes were similar between groups.