Chiropractic Spinal Adjustments Shown as Effective and Cheaper Than Epidural during Treatment of Herniated Disc Discomfort

Herniated discs have burdened a number of clients that have come to our Decatur office. Fortunately, Dr. Harrison has assisted many of them heal swiftly and more adequately. Herniated discs, sometime referred to as "slipped discs", can be treated with a handful of remedies.

If you are suffering with irritation because of a herniated disc, then you may be querying which option may provide the best outcome for you. To support you in settling that query, let's inspect two of the most popularly employed treatment options: chiropractic/manipulative therapy and epidural.

Research Comparing Outcomes from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A group of researchers from Switzerland recruited 102 participants, all of whom had chronically herniated discs validated by medical imaging. Each patient selected had previously received 90 days of care through alternatively accessible remedies with no satisfaction.

The body of participants was divided into two treatment paths. One group of the individuals underwent high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic treatments). The remaining half of participants were administered nerve root injections (epidural).

The researchers gathered ratings about the pain levels of each patient before the treatment given at the time of the research. Then, 30 days following care, people in the study reported their disc herniation discomfort on the same range as before. The change in the two ratings was applied to determine how useful the care was for improving discomfort.

What did the study conclude about chiropractic adjustments against nerve root injections?

Over 76% of the patients who were administered chiropractic care recorded a reduction in their pain. On the other hand, not quite 63 percent of the people in the study who engaged in epidurals scored an improvement in discomfort. These findings imply that chiropractic adjustments could possibly be more effective when looking to resolve herniated disc pain.

Plus, there’s more. Beyond providing a larger number of cohorts some much needed reduction in pain, researchers also discovered that chiropractic treatment was more affordable. Epidural treatments were roughly $730 per each individual. Chiropractic treatment ran approximately $560 for the same period of time. This amount of savings could certainly help with one’s medical expenses. Saving money may make it more conceivable to seek care of your disc herniation pain without added stress.

If you are interested in a better probability of pain relief and fewer expenses associated with your herniated disc care, give Dr. Harrison a call today at (404) 325-2856 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