Chiropractic Spinal Adjustments Concluded to Be Effective and Cheaper Than Epidural for Treating Herniated Disc Patients

Care of Slipped Disc Pain in Depew

Herniated discs have burdened many patients that have come to our Depew office. Fortunately, Dr. Palmer has assisted a lot of them rebound quickly and more effectively. Herniated discs, sometime referred to as "slipped discs", can be treated with multiple remedies.

If you are suffering with discomfort because of a herniated disc, then you may be querying which option will provide the best outcome for you. To support you in finding an answer to that search, let's look at two of the most popularly selected treatments: chiropractic/manipulative therapy and lumbar nerve root injection/epidural.

Study Observed Outcomes from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A body of researchers compared 102 participants, all of whom had chronically herniated discs verified by medical imaging. Every person picked had previously undergone three months of treatment via other available treatment options without achieving satisfaction.

The body of individuals was divided into two groups. The first group of the individuals were treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic treatments). The remaining half of patients received nerve root injections (epidural).

The researchers collected data about the pain levels of each person prior to the treatment administered in the time of the study. Subsequently, one month after the receiving of treatment, patients scored their disc herniation pain on the same scale as before. The change in the two scores was used to gauge how effective the intervention was for relieving discomfort.

What did the research find in regards to spinal manipulations compared to nerve root injections?

Just over 76 percent of the cohorts who were administered chiropractic adjustments expressed a decrease in their discomfort. On the other hand, fewer than 63 percent of the people in the study who were provided epidurals expressed an improvement in discomfort. The findings indicate that chiropractic adjustments could be more effective for treating to remediate herniated disc discomfort.

On top of that, there is more. Beyond granting a higher number of people highly desired reduction in pain, researchers also uncovered that spinal manipulation was less expensive. The epidural treatments approximately cost $730 for each recipient. The chiropractic treatment ran just under $560 for the same time frame. This type of savings may surely assist with one’s medical expenses. A lower cost may make it possible to seek treatment for your disc herniation pain without extra stress.

If you would like a greater chance of pain relief and lower costs when it comes to your herniated disc care, give Dr. Palmer a call today at (716) 668-2225 to schedule an appointment.

Reference

Peterson, CK et al. (2013, May). Symptomatic magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed lumbar disk herniation patients: a comparative effectiveness prospective observational study of 2 age-and sex-matched cohorts treated with either high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulative therapy or image-guided lumbar nerve root injections. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 36(4), 218-225, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.04.005