Chiropractic Better for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Weinberg works with countless sciatica patients here in our Smyrna, GA office, and many of these patients were worried that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research indicates that many people don't require surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic is more successful at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.

A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians examined 80 individuals with sciatica who were referred for this operation.

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

Both groups got better; however, no noticeable difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Additionally, around sixty 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 benefits as surgery without having to undergo the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that specific treatment option. Plus, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Smyrna, GA and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Weinberg a call today at (678) 214-4445. 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.