Oregon Medical Centers works with countless sciatica patients here in our Aloha office, and quite a few of these individuals were concerned that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research shows that many people don't need surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic is more effective at solving sciatic nerve pain.
A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, physicians examined 80 women and men 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 received chiropractic care.
Both groups got better; however, no noticeable difference in results was recorded one year post-treatment between either group. Furthermore, about 60% of the participating subjects who could not find assistance from any other treatment method "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."
Put another way, chiropractic provided the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to go through the greater amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often associated with that particular treatment method. Plus, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, including nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.
Surgery should be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in Aloha and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Oregon Medical Centers a call today at (503) 642-2845. We'll help identify the start of your pain and work hard to get you relief.
References
Dr. Bhasin grew up in Southern California and did her undergraduate work in pre-med at California State University Northridge, as well as Humboldt State University in California. Dr. Bhasin attended the University of Western States in Portland Oregon where she earned her Doctor of Chiropractic Degree. Dr. Bhasin has passed her National boards and her State Boards. Dr. Bhasin loves helping people and finds great joy helping injured people get out of pain and get their life back again. She has helped thousands of patients.
