Avoid Sciatica Surgery With Chiropractic

Dr. James Ellis & Dr. Lyndsay Martin works with many sciatica patients here in our Woburn & Chelmsford, MA office, and many of these men and women were afraid that they might require surgery to alleviate their pain. The most recent research shows that many people don't require surgery for this prevalent problem, 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 looked at 80 individuals 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 was given chiropractic care.

Both groups improved; however, no noticeable difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between either group. Furthermore, roughly sixty percent of the participating subjects who could not find relief from any other treatment method "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 having to undergo the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often associated with that specific treatment choice. Plus, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, including nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Woburn & Chelmsford, MA and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. James Ellis & Dr. Lyndsay Martin a call today at (781) 460-0939. We'll help determine 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.