Dr. Vinick works with countless sciatica patients here in our Redondo Beach office, and many of these men and women were worried that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The latest research shows that a large number of people don't require surgery for this common problem, and that chiropractic is more successful at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.
A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers looked at 80 individuals with sciatica who were referred for this operation.
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 apparent difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Additionally, around 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."
Put another way, chiropractic provided the same positive advantages as surgery without having to go through the increased levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often associated with that specific treatment option. Additionally, you also don't run the risks linked to surgical microdiscectomy, which includes nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.
Surgery should be the last option for sciatica pain. If you live in Redondo Beach and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Vinick a call today at (310) 375-4325. We'll help determine the source of your pain and work hard to get you relief.
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