Dr. Mark Holland works with many sciatica patients here in our North County, St. Louis, MO office, and quite a few of these men and women were nervous that they might need surgery to alleviate their pain. The latest research indicates that a large number of people don't require surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic is more effective at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.
A typical surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers looked at 80 patients 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 was given chiropractic care.
Both groups got better; however, no noticeable difference in results was recorded one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Furthermore, roughly sixty percent of the participating patients who could not find relief from any other treatment approach "benefited from spinal manipulation to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention."
In other words, chiropractic delivered the same positive advantages as surgery without having to undergo the higher levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often associated with that type of treatment choice. Additionally, you also don't run the risks affiliated 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 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 start 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.
