Dr. Holland works with many sciatica patients here in our Downtown St. Louis, MO office, and many of these patients were concerned that they might need surgery to treat their pain. The most recent research shows that a large number of people don't need surgery for this common issue, and that chiropractic is more beneficial at clearing up sciatic nerve pain.
A popular surgery for sciatica is microdiscectomy, and in a 2010 study, researchers examined 80 individuals 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 was given chiropractic care.
Both groups improved; however, no noticeable difference in results was recorded one year post-treatment between the surgery group and the chiropractic group. Furthermore, roughly 60 percent of the participating subjects 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 offered the same positive benefits as surgery without needing to endure the higher amounts of surgery-based pain or suffer through drawn-out recovery times often associated with that type of treatment choice. 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 option for sciatica pain. If you live in Downtown St. Louis, MO and you're being affected by back pain or sciatica, give Dr. Holland a call today at (314) 588-9100. We'll help identify 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.
