Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Dr. William Palmer works with many sciatica patients here in our Depew / Lancaster office, and many of these men and women were nervous that they might need surgery to eliminate their pain. The most recent research reveals that many people don't need surgery for this widespread problem, and that chiropractic is more effective at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians 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 was to receive 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, roughly 60% of the participating subjects who could not find assistance from any other treatment method "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Simply put, chiropractic delivered the same positive advantages as surgery without having to go through the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that type of treatment option. Plus, you also don't run the risks associated with 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 Depew / Lancaster and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. William Palmer a call today at (716) 668-2225. 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.