Dr. Nowak works with many sciatica patients here in our South Buffalo office, and many of these patients were concerned that they might require surgery to relieve their pain. The most recent research shows that many people don't need surgery for this widespread issue, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.
A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 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 was to receive surgical microdiscectomy and the second group was given 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, roughly 60% 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 advantages as surgery without needing to go through the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often associated with that particular treatment choice. 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 South Buffalo and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Nowak a call today at (716) 825-4121. 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.
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