Chiropractic Treatment More Effective for Sciatica Than Surgery

Jefferson Spine & Injury Center works with countless sciatica patients here in our Arlington office, and many of these men and women were afraid that they might need surgery to eliminate their pain. The most recent research shows that many people don't need surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic therapy is more beneficial at clearing up sciatic nerve problems.

A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians 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 was to receive surgical microdiscectomy and the second group received chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; however, no obvious difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Furthermore, around 60% of the participating subjects 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."

Simply put, chiropractic treatment delivered the same positive advantages as surgery without having to undergo the higher amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that type of treatment option. Additionally, you also don't run the risks affiliated with surgical microdiscectomy, including nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

We Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Sciatica Pain

Surgery ought to be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Arlington and you're being affected by back problems or sciatica, give Jefferson Spine & Injury Center a call today at (703) 933-9000. We'll help pinpoint the source of your problems 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.