Drs. Matt & Annie Reyes works with countless sciatica patients here in our State College office, and many of these individuals were nervous that they might require surgery to relieve their pain. The latest research shows that a large number of people don't require surgery for this prevalent issue, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at solving sciatic nerve pain.
A common 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 placed in one of two groups. The first group received surgical microdiscectomy and the second group received chiropractic care.
Both groups got better; however, no obvious difference in outcome was reported one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Furthermore, around 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."
Simply put, chiropractic delivered the same positive advantages as surgery without having to undergo the increased levels of surgery-based pain or suffer through extended recovery times often affiliated with that particular treatment option. Plus, you also don't run the risks affiliated 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 State College and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Drs. Matt & Annie Reyes a call today at (814) 308-9352. We'll help determine the start of your pain and work hard to get you relief.
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