Chiropractic Superior for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Messerschmidt works with many sciatica patients here in our Juneau, AK office, and many of these individuals were afraid that they might require surgery to alleviate their pain. The latest research reveals 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, specialists 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 was given 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 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."

Put another way, chiropractic offered the same positive benefits as surgery without having to undergo the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that particular treatment method. Plus, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Juneau, AK and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Messerschmidt a call today at (907) 789-1344. We'll help identify the start 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.