Chiropractic & Osteopathic Treatment Better for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Marsh works with countless sciatica patients here in our West New York office and quite a few of these individuals were worried that they might need surgery to relieve their pain. The most recent research reveals that many people don't require surgery for this widespread issue, and that chiropractic and osteopathic treatments are more successful at solving sciatic nerve pain.

A typical surgery for sciatica is micro discectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 80 patients with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.

Forty patients were then randomly sorted into one of two groups. The first group received surgical micro discectomy and the second group was given chiropractic care.

Both groups got better; however, no obvious difference in outcome was recorded one year post-treatment between either group. In addition, roughly 60 percent of the participating patients who could not find relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Put another way, chiropractic provided the same positive advantages as surgery without needing to go through the increased levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often affiliated with that particular treatment method. Plus, you also don't run the risks affiliated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in West New York and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Marsh a call today at (201) 869-0830. We'll help determine 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.