Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller works with countless sciatica patients here in our Massillon, OH office, and quite a few of these patients were concerned that they might need surgery to relieve their pain. The latest research indicates that many people don't need surgery for this prevalent problem, and that chiropractic is more effective at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.
A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 80 patients 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 recorded one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. In addition, about 60 percent of the participating patients 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 advantages as surgery without needing to go through the increased amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often affiliated with that particular 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 resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Massillon, OH and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Drs. Ken Haycock & Tim Vierheller a call today at (330) 833-2085. 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.
