Dr. Kaden works with countless sciatica patients here in our Redondo Beach office, and many of these individuals were worried that they might need surgery to relieve their pain. The latest research shows that many people don’t need surgery for this widespread issue, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at solving sciatic nerve pain.
A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists looked at 80 patients 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 improved; however, no noticeable difference in results was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. In addition, roughly 60 percent 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.”
Simply put, chiropractic provided the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to undergo the higher amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that particular treatment method. Plus, you also don’t run the risks associated 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 Redondo Beach and you’re suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Kaden a call today at (310) 251-0862. We’ll help pinpoint 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.