Chiropractic Care Can Prevent the need for Back Surgery

What do toddlers, laundry baskets and 56 cans of cat food have in common? Not sure? How about an untied shoe, an auto accident and your golf swing? I think you are getting closer. All are common objects lifted or actions referred to by many of my patients when citing the many different causes for the same debilitating symptom- Sciatica! 

The most common statement made by a patient suffering with sciatica to his or her chiropractor, besides, “OUCH!” is, “I don’t want surgery!” New research now allows the chiropractor to firmly state what has been known and seen for years: chiropractic helps many patients suffering with sciatica get better without surgery.

Affecting nearly four percent of women and about five percent of men over the age of 30, sciatica is a set of symptoms that arises from compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve. Comprised of several nerve branches from the lower back and tailbone, the sciatic nerve is our longest and widest nerve and controls the back of the thigh, leg and foot. Patients with sciatic nerve problems often experience pain, numbness, burning, pins and needles and/or loss of normal muscular function. Some walk into the office while others have crawled! The sensations may rest in the buttock region, a single toe, or span the lower extremity. 

Sciatica is most commonly caused when a disk separating the bones of the lower back moves out of position or herniates. Picture an ice cream sandwich that is being bitten on one side with the frozen middle squishing out of the other side. The ice cream represents the disk and the cookies would be the bones. Once herniated, the disk can move into the space between the spinal bones where the delicate nerve exits. Symptoms may be local or like pressing on a doorbell and ringing down the line. Other less common causes such as spinal stenosis (narrowing), pelvic muscular problems or tumors may also be considered. If you are also experiencing loss of bladder or bowel control, please seek medical care immediately. I have seen hundreds of people during my18 years of practice who suffered with sciatica. Only two or three had the condition due to a spinal tumor. So, if you experience the symptoms of sciatica, please stop thinking about the worse case scenario! Please, get it checked out... it is a serious condition worth your attention!

Over 250,000 people elect to have back surgery (lumbar microdiskectomy) to remove the portion of the offending tissue. This procedure can provide relief, but due to the risks, experts agree that it should be used as a last-resort. With a direct annual cost of approximately $5 billion, or $25,000 per patient, consumers and health insurers would agree that any viable alternative not only makes sense, but can save serious dollars and cents! 

A recent study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics compared chiropractic care to lumbar microdiskectomy surgery. Hearing the results would make any sciatic patient stand up straight – and run straight to the chiropractor. 

60 percent of the patients who were considered surgical candidates improved EQUALLY with  chiropractic care as to those who received surgery.

The research also found that the patients who eventually needed surgery had equal results, even when the surgery was delayed by undergoing chiropractic care first. The study’s authors concluded that chiropractic care should be considered as a first line of care for herniated lumbar discs that cause sciatica. 

Chiropractic care is safe and effective. Modern chiropractic technique provides care that is more comfortable than ever. Besides the decrease in stress and anxiety by avoiding surgery, the cost-savings with chiropractic is substantial. It is believed that if chiropractic is utilized first, it will save nearly three billion dollars each year. Presently, chiropractic is covered by nearly all insurance plans, including Medicare. Although most plans allow the patient to go directly to the doctor of chiropractic without referral, most chiropractors are happy to communicate and coordinate care with your primary care physician.

Next time you swing your driver and feel a sharp pain shoot down your leg, venture into the back of  your auto to get junior out of the car seat and feel the electrical twinge, or just notice the symptoms slowly creeping their way into your life, rest assured that non-surgical solutions are available. Call the chiropractor and get back to your healthy life again. Research shows that you have nothing to lose by trying it first and everything to gain... except you won’t be able to blame your poor golf performance on your sciatica any more!