Chiropractic Better for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Lach works with many sciatica patients here in our Corvallis office, and quite a few of these individuals were afraid that they might require surgery to eliminate their pain. The most recent research reveals that many people don't require surgery for this prevalent problem, and that chiropractic is more successful at resolving 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 operation.

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

Both groups got better; however, no obvious difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Additionally, roughly 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 advantages as surgery without having to endure the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that particular treatment option. Plus, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Corvallis and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Lach a call today at (541) 754-1947. We'll help determine the origin 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.