Sciatica, Surgery, and Chiropractic

Recently, many studies have been conducted analyzing the efficacy of chiropractic care and comparing the effectiveness of chiropractic care with other intervention, such as surgery.  The result – chiropractic is looking good.

In the recent study, Manipulation orMicrodiskectomy for sciatica?, published in Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, 2010, found that “sixty percent of patients with sciatica who had failed other medical management benefited from spinal manipulation (chiropractic) to the same degree as if they underwent surgical intervention.”

This study is important for several reasons.

1. Chiropractic care benefited patients after physical therapy and drug therapy resulted in limited success.
2. Chiropractic care demonstrated the same success rate as a leading and promising surgical technique.
3. Compared with surgery and its built in costs (surgeon, hospital, anesthesiologist, surgical suite, medications, nurse care, patient down time, and post-rehabilitation costs) chiropractic is cheap and much more effective.
4. Chiropractic care results are usually felt quickly.
5. Because of lack of studies, chiropractic care is often seen as being contraindicated for people suffering from radiculopathy (herniated discs resulting in radiating nerve pain such as sciatica.)  Spinal surgeons (I wonder why?) say that chiropractic care will further damage their patient’s condition. (Absolutely no science to back their statement)   This study shows that chiropractic is not dangerous and has strong potential to help people suffering from one type of radiculopathy.

I hope that insurance companies and medical providers understand this study and will act accordingly.  This study has the potential to lead to other studies, reduce patient suffering, and save our health care system billions of dollars.

Please contact Dr. Jeffrey Linder of Bryant Park Wellness of NYC with any comments or questions.

drjlinder@optonline.net

212-768-4078