Dr. Scharf works with many sciatica patients here in our Parkland, FL office, and quite a few of these individuals were nervous that they might need surgery to alleviate their pain. The most recent research indicates that many people don't need surgery for this prevalent problem, and that chiropractic is more successful at resolving sciatic nerve pain.

A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers examined 80 patients with sciatica who were referred for this procedure.

Forty patients were then randomly sorted into one of two groups. The first group received surgical microdiscectomy and the second group was given chiropractic care.

Both groups got better; however, no obvious difference in results was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. In addition, roughly sixty percent of the participating patients who could not find pain relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."

Simply put, chiropractic delivered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to go through the increased levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through lengthy recovery times often associated with that specific treatment choice. Additionally, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.

Surgery ought to be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Parkland, FL and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Scharf a call today at (954) 227-0088. We'll help determine the start 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.
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