Chiropractic Better for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Aazami works with many sciatica patients here in our Rockville office, and many of these men and women were worried that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research reveals that a large number of people don't require 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, specialists examined 80 women and men 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 received chiropractic care.

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

Put another way, chiropractic provided the same positive advantages as surgery without needing to endure the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often associated with that particular treatment method. Additionally, 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 Rockville and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Aazami a call today at (240) 221-2666. We'll help determine 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.