Chiropractic Superior for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Roxann Bettencourt, DC works with countless sciatica patients here in our Napa, CA office, and many of these individuals were afraid that they might need surgery to eliminate their pain. The most recent research reveals that many people don't need surgery for this common problem, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at resolving sciatic nerve pain.

A typical 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 received chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; however, no noticeable difference in results was recorded one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Furthermore, around 60% of the participating subjects who could not find assistance 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 needing to undergo the higher amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often associated with that type of treatment option. Plus, you also don't run the risks affiliated with surgical microdiscectomy, including nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Napa, CA and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Roxann Bettencourt, DC a call today at (707) 257-3600. 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.