Chiropractic Care More Effective for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Ulvin works with many sciatica patients here in our Stacy office, and quite a few of these men and women were nervous that they might require surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research shows that a large number of people don't require surgery for this prevalent problem, and that chiropractic care is more beneficial at clearing up sciatic nerve discomfort.

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

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

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

Simply put, chiropractic care offered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to go through the greater amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that type of treatment option. Plus, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

We Can Help Patients Find Relief From Sciatica Pain

Surgery ought to be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Stacy and you're experiencing back issues or sciatica, give Dr. Ulvin a call today at (651) 462-3243. We'll help determine the start of your pain and work hard to get you relief and living pain free.

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.