Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Dr. Ernst works with countless sciatica patients here in our Arlington office, and quite a few of these patients were nervous that they might need surgery to alleviate their pain. The latest research indicates that a large number of people don't require surgery for this common problem, and that chiropractic is more effective at resolving sciatic nerve pain.

A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 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 received chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; however, no obvious difference in results was reported one year post-treatment between either group. Additionally, about sixty percent of the participating patients who could not find relief from any other treatment method "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

In other words, chiropractic offered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to undergo the greater amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that type of treatment choice. Plus, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, including nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Arlington and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Ernst a call today at (360) 659-8464. We'll help identify 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.