Dr. Nowak works with many sciatica patients here in our South Buffalo office, and many of these individuals were afraid that they might require surgery to alleviate their pain. The latest research indicates that a large number of people don't need surgery for this prevalent issue, and that chiropractic is more effective at resolving sciatic nerve pain.
A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers looked at 80 women and men with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.
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 got better; however, no obvious difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Additionally, roughly sixty percent of the participating patients who could not find relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."
Simply put, chiropractic provided the same positive advantages as surgery without having to undergo the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that specific treatment method. Plus, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.
Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in South Buffalo and you're experiencing back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Nowak a call today at (716) 825-4121. We'll help pinpoint the origin 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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