Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Dr. Messerschmidt works with many sciatica patients here in our Juneau office, and many of these men and women were concerned that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research shows that a large number of people don't need surgery for this prevalent problem, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at solving sciatic nerve pain.

A typical 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 improved; however, no apparent difference in results was recorded one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. In addition, around 60% of the participating subjects 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 offered the same positive advantages as surgery without needing to go through the greater levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often affiliated with that particular 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.

Surgery ought to be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Juneau and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Messerschmidt a call today at (907) 789-1344. We'll help identify 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.