Chiropractic Care Better for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Harrison works with many sciatica patients here in our Decatur office, and many of these patients were worried that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The latest research indicates that many people don't require surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic therapy is more effective at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians 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 was given chiropractic care.

Both groups got better; however, no noticeable difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Furthermore, about 60 percent of the participating subjects who could not find assistance from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Simply put, chiropractic therapy provided the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to go through the greater amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that particular treatment method. Additionally, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

We Can Help Patients Find Relief From Sciatica Pain

Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Decatur and you're being affected by back issues or sciatica, give Dr. Harrison a call today at (404) 325-2856. We'll help pinpoint the origin of your issues and work hard to get you help 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.