Your Health

Treating Sciatica Pain

Posted: 7/6/2011

Doctors have discovered spinal manipulation can be just as effective as surgery for most people struggling with sciatica.

(NAPSI)—Some people have a lot of nerve-and if it’s their sciatic nerve, they may also have a lot of pain. That’s because when the sciatic nerve, which originates in the lower back, becomes inflamed—it really hurts.

Other symptoms can include low back pain and tingling or numbness down one or both legs. Fortunately, these symptoms often respond well to chiropractic care.

A study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found spinal manipulation just as effective as microdiscectomy for most people with sciatica secondary to lumbar disk herniation, with 60 percent of sciatica patients able to avoid low back surgery by going to a chiropractor.

“This study,” said Dr. Gordon McMorland, who co-authored the paper with neurosurgeons Steve Casha, M.D., Stephan J. du Plessis, M.D. and R. John Hubert, M.D., can “provide evidence of a valuable treatment alternative.”

Doctors of chiropractic are trained in physical examination and diagnosis and routinely treat patients with symptoms of sciatica.

To learn more, visit the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress at www.yes2chiropractic.com.