The effects of aerobic exercise after lumbar microdiscectomy.
STUDY DESIGN: This study determined whether lumbar discectomy patients could endure an aerobic exercise program sufficient to achieve a training effect, and whether any functional advantages were derived. METHODS: Trained volunteers (n = 19) were compared with untrained control subjects (n = 18) after a 12-week aerobic and rehabilitation exercise program. Subjects completed a maximal graded exercise test, a hydrostatic weighing test, and a battery of self-report inventories. RESULTS: Using a discriminant analysis, as a post hoc test, maximal oxygen consumption was found to be the factor responsible for the difference between the groups (P < 0.006). CONCLUSION: Oxygen consumption was more than three times as important as any other single variable in differentiating between the groups.