Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Dr. Valente works with many sciatica patients here in our New York office, and quite a few of these patients were nervous that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research reveals that many people don't need surgery for this common problem, and that chiropractic is more effective at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A common surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians looked at 80 women and men with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.

Forty patients were then randomly sorted into one of two groups. The first group received surgical microdiscectomy and the second group received chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; however, no apparent difference in results was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Furthermore, about 60% of the participating patients who could not find pain relief from any other treatment method "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

In other words, chiropractic delivered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to endure the increased levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that particular treatment option. Additionally, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in New York and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Valente a call today at (917) 338-7917. We'll help pinpoint the source 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.