Chiropractic Better for Sciatica Than Surgery

Waldorf Total Health Chiropractic & Physical Therapy works with many sciatica patients here in our Waldorf, MD office, and quite a few of these patients were nervous that they might need surgery to alleviate their pain. The most recent research indicates that many people don't need surgery for this common issue and that chiropractic is more effective at solving sciatic nerve pain.

A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 80 patients with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.

Forty patients were then randomly placed in one of two groups. The first group received surgical microdiscectomy and the second group was given chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; however, no apparent difference in results was recorded one-year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. In addition, about sixty percent of the participating patients who could not find pain relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Put another way, chiropractic provided the same positive advantages as surgery without having to endure the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often affiliated with that specific treatment choice. Plus, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Waldorf, MD and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Waldorf Total Health Chiropractic & Physical Therapy a call today at (240) 754-7130. We'll help identify the source of your pain and work hard to get you relief.

References

• McMorland, G et al. Manipulation or microdiskectomy for sciatica? A prospective randomized clinical study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2010;33(8):576-584.
• Solberg TK, Nygaard OP, Sjaavik K, Hofoss D, Ingebrigtsen T. The risk of "getting worse" after lumbar microdiscectomy. European Spine Journal 2005;14(1):49-54.