Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation Found Effective and Less Expensive Than Epidural for Herniated Disc Diagnosis

Herniated discs have afflicted numerous patients that have come to our Sunnyvale & San Francisco office. Fortunately, Dr. Stern has assisted many of them rebound swiftly and more effectively. Herniated discs, or "slipped discs", can be treated with several different methods.

If you are feeling discomfort because of a herniated disc, then you are likely querying which selection may provide the best outcome for you. To help you in solving that search, let's assess two of the most popularly selected treatment options: chiropractic and lumbar nerve root injection/epidural.

A Study Compares Outcomes from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A group of researchers recruited 102 patients, all of whom had chronically herniated discs confirmed by medical imaging. Every patient selected had already received ninety days of treatment via other accessible remedies with no satisfaction.

The pack of individuals was divided into two subdivision. The first half of the patients were assigned to receive high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic adjustments). The remaining half of individuals were treated with nerve root injections (epidural).

The conductors of the study gathered scores about the pain levels of each individual in advance of the treatment provided in the time of the study. Subsequently, one month following care, people in the study reported their disc herniation pain on the same range as previously. The difference in the two ratings was applied to gauge how effective the care was for relieving pain.

What did the researchers determine in regards to spinal manipulations compared to nerve root injections?

Greater than 76% of the individuals who received chiropractic care expressed a decrease in their discomfort. On the other hand, less than 63 percent of the people in the study who were provided epidurals recorded an improvement in pain. The figures indicate that chiropractic care could possibly be more successful for treating to remediate herniated disc discomfort.

On top of that, there’s more. In addition to giving a larger count of patients greatly appreciated pain relief, researchers also uncovered that chiropractic treatment was lower in cost. Epidural treatments cost about $730 for each recipient. Chiropractic treatment cost less than $560 for an equal period of time. This amount of savings could certainly help with one’s health care expenses. Spending less may make it feasible to obtain treatment of your disc herniation pain without additional worry.

If you would like a higher chance of success and lesser costs associated with your herniated disc care, give Dr. Stern a call today at (415) 308-7636 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