Title
Predictors of early neurological recovery in lumbar disc herniation surgery
Authors
Muhammad Nauman Shahid1,*, Amber Shafique1, Hamza Nawaz Cheema1, Fatima Liaqat2, Aimon Rizwan3, Ramsha Aamir4, Muhammad Uzair Khan4, Aroosha Ali Mughal4, Fatima Bilal4, Omer Javed Khan5, Muhammad Moaz Khalid4, Mah Gul Khan6 & Hira Shehzadi7
Affiliation
1Department of Orthopaedic and Spine Surgery, Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan; ²Department of General Medicine, SSBHU Batapur DSS, Lahore, Pakistan; ³Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan; 4Department of Medical Sciences, Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan; 5Department of Medical Sciences, Central Park Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan; 6Department of Medical Sciences, FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan; 7Department of Medical Sciences, Hainan Medical University, China; *Corresponding author
Muhammad Nauman Shahid - E-mail: mnaumanedu146@gmail.com
Amber Shafique - E-mail: ambershafique8@gmail.com
Hamza Nawaz Cheema - E-mail: cheemahamzanawaz@gmail.com
Fatima Liaqat - E-mail: fatimaliaqat136@gmail.com
Aimon Rizwan - E-mail: dp19808@lmdc.edu.pk; draimonrizwan@gmail.com
Ramsha Aamir - E-mail: ramshaaamir55@gmail.com
Muhammad Uzair Khan - E-mail: uzairsandila3@gmail.com
Aroosha Ali Mughal - E-mail: arooshaalimughal32@gmail.com
Fatima Bilal - E-mail: fatimab6403@gmail.com
Omer Javed Khan - E-mail: ojkiko@outlook.com
Muhammad Moaz Khalid - E-mail: moazzkhalidd@gmail.com
Mah Gul Khan - E-mail: gulmah095@gmail.com
Hira Shehzadi - E-mail: hirashehzadi0702@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received July 1, 2026; Revised July 31,
2026; Accepted July 31, 2026, Published July 31, 2026
Abstract
Early neurological recovery after lumbar disc herniation surgery remains variable despite adequate surgical decompression. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the predictors of recovery in 80 patients undergoing discectomy or microdiscectomy from January 2024 to January 2025. Early recovery at 1–4 weeks was achieved by 56 patients (70.0%). Short symptom duration, mild motor weakness, positive straight leg raising test, single-level disease, and shorter operative time were associated with better recovery. Thus, data shows the symptoms under three months, mild motor deficit, positive straight leg raising test, and operative time under 90 minutes independently predicted early neurological recovery.
Keywords
Lumbar disc herniation (LDH), neurological recovery, discectomy, predictors, radiculopathy
Citation
Shahid et al. Bioinformation 22(7): 3963-3968 (2026)
Edited by
P Kangueane
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
