Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Dr. John Nowak works with many sciatica patients here in our Buffalo office, and many of these men and women were afraid that they might require surgery to alleviate their pain. The latest research shows that many people don't require surgery for this widespread problem, and that chiropractic is more effective at resolving sciatic nerve pain.

A common surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers examined 80 individuals with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.

Forty patients were then randomly placed in 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 results was reported one year post-treatment between either group. Additionally, about sixty percent of the participating patients 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 delivered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to endure the greater levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that particular 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 ought to be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Buffalo and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. John Nowak a call today at (716) 825-4121. 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.