Chiropractic Superior for Sciatica Than Surgery

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

A common surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 80 individuals 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 received chiropractic care.

Both groups got better; however, no apparent difference in results was recorded one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Additionally, around 60 percent of the participating patients who could not find pain relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

In other words, chiropractic offered the same positive advantages as surgery without needing to endure the higher 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 affiliated with surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Yakima and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Covington a call today at (509) 895-7535. We'll help identify 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.