Chiropractic Methods Shown as Effective and Cheaper Than Epidural for Treating Herniated Disc Patients

Herniated discs have bothered a number of people that have been treated in our Arlington office. Fortunately, Jefferson Spine & Injury Center has helped many of them rebound speedily and more completely. Herniated discs, or "slipped discs", can be treated with a handful of methods.

If you are suffering with irritation caused by a herniated disc, then you may be querying which selection will work best for you. To support you in settling that query, let's inspect two of the most frequently prescribed therapies: chiropractic/manipulative therapy and epidural injections.

Research Analyzed Improvements from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A group of researchers studied 102 individuals, all of whom had chronically herniated discs validated by medical imaging. Any participant selected had previously undergone ninety days of treatment via alternatively accessible treatment options with no significant improvement.

The body of patients was divided into two groups. One group of the patients were treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic adjustments). The rest of patients were treated with nerve root injections (epidural).

The organizers of the study saved ratings about the pain levels of every cohort before the care given at the time of the study. Then, 30 days after the receiving of treatment, participants rated their disc herniation pain on the same scale as previously. The change between the two scores was applied to gauge how successful the intervention was for relieving discomfort.

What did the researchers determine in regards to chiropractic adjustments compared to epidural injections?

Over 76 percent of the people in the study who received chiropractic treatments recorded an improvement in their pain. In the other half, not quite 63% of the people in the study who were administered epidurals recorded an improvement in discomfort. These data suggest that chiropractic care could possibly be more successful for treating to reduce herniated disc discomfort.

And, that isn't all. In addition to providing a larger amount of participants highly desired pain relief, researchers also discovered that spinal manipulation was less expensive. Nerve root injection treatments were roughly $730 per a single participant. The chiropractic care cost approximately $560 for an equal period of time. This amount of savings could certainly assist with anyone’s medical expenses. Saving money can make it easier to pursue treatment for your disc herniation pain without extra stress.

If you are interested in a better probability of effectiveness and lesser expenses associated with your herniated disc care, give Jefferson Spine & Injury Center a call today at (703) 933-9000 to schedule an appointment.

Reference

Peterson, CK et al. (2013, May). Symptomatic magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed lumbar disk herniation patients: a comparative effectiveness prospective observational study of 2 age-and sex-matched cohorts treated with either high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulative therapy or image-guided lumbar nerve root injections. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 36(4), 218-225, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.04.005