Chiropractic Superior for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Dahlager works with many sciatica patients here in our Noblesville office, and quite a few of these patients were nervous that they might need surgery to eliminate their pain. The latest research shows that a large number of people don't require surgery for this widespread problem, and that chiropractic is more effective at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A common surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians looked at 80 women and men with sciatica who were referred for this operation.

Forty patients were then randomly sorted into one of two groups. The first group was to receive surgical microdiscectomy and the second group was given chiropractic care.

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

In other words, chiropractic provided the same positive advantages as surgery without needing to endure the greater amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that specific treatment method. Additionally, 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 resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Noblesville and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Dahlager a call today at (317) 214-7218. We'll help pinpoint 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.