TJ Delorie works with countless sciatica patients here in our Otown office, and quite a few of these individuals were concerned that they might need surgery to alleviate their pain. The most recent research indicates that many people don't require surgery for this common problem, and that chiropractic is more successful at solving sciatic nerve pain.
A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists looked at 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 received chiropractic care.
Both groups got better; however, no apparent difference in results was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. In addition, around 60% of the participating patients who could not find assistance from any other treatment method "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."
Put another way, chiropractic delivered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to go through the higher amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often affiliated with that type of treatment option. Additionally, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.
Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Otown and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give TJ Delorie a call today at 724-123-1234. We'll help identify the start 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.