Chiropractic Superior for Sciatica Than Surgery

Dr. Lipsitz works with countless sciatica patients here in our Waldorf, MD office, and quite a few of these men and women were afraid that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The latest research shows that many 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, specialists looked at 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 was to receive surgical microdiscectomy and the second group received chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; 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 relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

In other words, chiropractic offered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to endure the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often affiliated with that type of treatment choice. Plus, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, such as nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Waldorf, MD and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Lipsitz a call today at (301) 645-8898. We'll help determine 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.