Inclusion Criteria:

• Duration of symptoms: 6 or more weeks.
• Treatments tried: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medical therapy and physical therapy.
• Surgical screening: Persistent radicular pain provoked by moderate exercise, sitting, increased abdominal pressure, decreased mobility, list (scoliosis), straight leg raising.
• Tests: MRI to confirm diagnosis and level(s).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous lumbar spine surgery.
• Not a surgical candidate for any of these reasons: Overall health which makes spinal surgery too life-threatening to be an appropriate alternative, dramatic improvement with conservative care, or inability (for any reason) to undergo surgery within 6 months.
• Possible pregnancy.
• Active malignancy: A patient with a history of any invasive malignancy (except non-melanoma skin cancer) is ineligible unless he or she has been treated with a curative intent AND there has been no clinical signs or symptoms of the malignancy for at least 5 years.
• Current fracture, infection, and/or deformity (greater than 15 degrees of lumbar scoliosis, using Cobb measure technique) of the spine.
• Age less than 18 years.
• Cauda Equina syndrome or progressive neurological deficit (usually requiring urgent surgery).
• Unavailability for follow-up (planning to move, no telephone, etc.) or inability to complete data surveys.
• Symptoms less than 6 weeks.
• Patient currently enrolled in any experimental "spine related" study.