Chiropractic Treatment Superior for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Covington works with many sciatica patients here in our Yakima office, and several of these men and women were afraid that they might need surgery to relieve their pain. The most recent research reveals that a large number of people don't need surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic therapy is more successful at clearing up sciatic nerve issues.

A common surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians looked at 80 individuals 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 received chiropractic adjustments.

Both groups improved; however, no apparent difference in outcome was recorded one year post-treatment between either group. Furthermore, roughly 60% 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 care provided the same positive advantages as surgery without having to go through the greater amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often affiliated with that type of treatment method. Additionally, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

We Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Sciatica Pain

Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Yakima and you're experiencing 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 and living pain free.

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.