Chiropractic More Effective for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Pittman works with many sciatica patients here in our San Angelo office, and many of these individuals were afraid that they might require surgery to relieve their pain. The most recent research reveals that many people don't require surgery for this common problem, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A common surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers looked at 80 women and men 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 results was reported one year post-treatment between either group. In addition, around 60 percent of the participating patients 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 provided the same positive benefits as surgery without having to go through the greater levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often associated with that type of treatment choice. Plus, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in San Angelo and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Pittman a call today at (325) 223-9355. We'll help pinpoint the source 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.