Chiropractic Spinal Adjustments Concluded to Be Effective and Cheaper Than Epidural during Treatment of Herniated Disc Pain

Herniated discs have burdened uncounted patients that have visited our Parkland practice. Fortunately, Dr. Scharf has assisted a lot of them recover speedily and more adequately. Herniated discs, also known as "slipped discs", can be treated with multiple approaches.

If you are suffering with discomfort because of a herniated disc, then you are likely querying which option may work best for you. To help you in settling that question, let's assess two of the most frequently selected therapies: chiropractic/manipulative therapy and epidural injections.

Study Observed Improvements from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A body of researchers recruited 102 participants, every one of them had chronically herniated discs confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Every person selected had previously undergone three months of care through other applicable treatment options with no satisfaction.

The pack of cohorts was divided into two subdivision. One half of the cohorts were treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic adjustments). The second half of individuals were given nerve root injections (epidural).

The conductors of the study gathered ratings about the pain levels of every cohort prior to the care provided in the time of the study. Later, one month following care, people in the study graded their disc herniation discomfort on the same scoring system as previously. The change in the two reports was used to determine how useful the intervention may have been for remediating discomfort.

What did the research find in regards to chiropractic adjustments against epidurals?

More than 76 percent of the participants who engaged in chiropractic adjustments scored an improvement in their pain. On the other side, fewer than 63 percent of the participants who were given epidurals scored an improvement in discomfort. These findings imply that chiropractic adjustments may be more effective when caring for to remediate herniated disc discomfort.

Plus, there’s more. Beyond granting a higher count of cohorts highly desired reduction in pain, researchers also discovered that chiropractic treatment was more cost-effective. The epidural treatments cost about $730 per a single recipient. The chiropractic treatment ran approximately $560 for an equal duration. This amount of savings could surely help with anyone’s medical expenses. Saving money may make it possible to look for care for your disc herniation pain without extra stress.

If you are interested in a better probability of pain relief and lesser costs associated with your herniated disc care, give Dr. Scharf a call today at (954) 227-0088 to schedule an appointment.

Reference

Peterson, CK et al. (2013, May). Symptomatic magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed lumbar disk herniation patients: a comparative effectiveness prospective observational study of 2 age-and sex-matched cohorts treated with either high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulative therapy or image-guided lumbar nerve root injections. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 36(4), 218-225, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.04.005