Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Dr. Palmer works with countless sciatica patients here in our Depew office, and quite a few of these men and women were concerned that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research reveals that a large number of people don't require surgery for this widespread problem, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at resolving sciatic nerve pain.

A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers looked at 80 women and men 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 care.

Both groups improved; however, no apparent difference in results was recorded one year post-treatment between either group. Additionally, roughly 60% of the participating subjects who could not find pain relief from any other treatment method "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

In other words, chiropractic offered the same positive advantages as surgery without needing to endure the higher 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 linked to surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Depew and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Palmer a call today at (716) 668-2225. We'll help pinpoint 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.