Dr. Mark Holland works with many sciatica patients here in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and quite a few of these patients were afraid that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The latest research indicates that many people don't require surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic is more successful at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.
A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, specialists examined 80 individuals with sciatica who were referred for this operation.
Forty patients were then randomly sorted into one of two groups. The first group was to receive surgical microdiscectomy and the second group received 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, roughly sixty percent of the participating patients who could not find assistance from any other treatment approach "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 having to endure the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often associated with that type of treatment option. Additionally, you also don't run the risks associated with surgical microdiscectomy, including nerve root damage, bowel or bladder incontinence, bleeding, or infection.
Surgery ought to be the last resort for sciatica pain. If you live in North County, St. Louis, MO and you're suffering from back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Mark Holland a call today at (314) 867-8888. We'll help pinpoint the origin of your pain and work hard to get you relief.
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We have a long-standing track record or helping people get out of pain with chiropractic care. Whether you were injured last week, or have been suffering from chronic pain for years - It might only take one visit to our office in Downtown Saint Louis, MO to get you back on the path to everyday health.
