Methods: Patients with a specified symptomatology and specified clinical signs at examination were recruited and randomized to either type of treatment, non-surgical (NS) including cognitive-behavioral therapy and physiotherapy (37 pat.) or surgical (S), including the same cognitive-behavioral therapy and physiotherapy as in the NS group plus fusion surgery (37 pat.). All patients were thoroughly investigated before start of the study and at follow-up one year after treatment. The outcomes perceived by the patients were assessed on the validated questionnaires Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Roland-Morris, Balanced Inventory for Spinal Disorders (BIS), Short-Form-36 (SF-36) and Euro-Quol (EQ-5D).