Chiropractic Treatment Methods Shown as Effective and Cheaper Than Epidural for Herniated Disc Discomfort

Care of Herniated Disc in Roselle

Herniated discs have annoyed numerous clients that have come to our Roselle office. Fortunately, Dr. Ahmed has helped a lot of them heal quickly and more effectively. Herniated discs, or "slipped discs", can be treated with several different strategies.

If you are experiencing pain due to a herniated disc, then you may be asking which selection may work best for you. To help you in finding an answer to that question, let's look at two of the most frequently selected treatments: chiropractic and epidural.

Research Observed Outcomes from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A group of researchers studied 102 participants, all having had chronically herniated discs confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Any participant chosen had previously received three months of treatment through other accessible remedies without achieving success.

The pack of participants was divided into two groups. The first group of the participants were assigned to receive high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic adjustments). The remaining half of people in the study were given nerve root injections (epidural).

The organizers of the study gathered scores regarding the pain levels of every individual before the remedy given during the study. Subsequently, one month following treatment, cohorts scored their disc herniation discomfort on the same range as previously. The difference in the two reports was used to calculate how successful the intervention was for improving pain.

What did the study uncover about chiropractic adjustments versus epidurals?

Over 76 percent of the participants who received chiropractic adjustments recorded a decrease in their discomfort. In the other group, less than 63% of the patients who were treated with epidurals recorded a minimization in discomfort. These scores suggest that chiropractic treatment may be more effective for caring for to resolve herniated disc pain.

And, that isn't everything. In addition to providing a greater number of cohorts highly desired reduction in pain, researchers also gleaned that chiropractic treatment was more cost-effective. Nerve root injection treatments cost about $730 per each participant. The chiropractic care was approximately $560 for an equal timespan. This amount of savings could certainly help with anyone’s medical expenses. Spending less may make it easier to look for care of your disc herniation pain without extra burden.

If you are interested in a better likelihood of effectiveness and lesser expenses associated with your herniated disc care, give Dr. Ahmed a call today at (630) 295-8851 to schedule an appointment.

Reference

Peterson, CK et al. (2013, May). Symptomatic magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed lumbar disk herniation patients: a comparative effectiveness prospective observational study of 2 age-and sex-matched cohorts treated with either high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulative therapy or image-guided lumbar nerve root injections. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 36(4), 218-225, doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.04.005