Chiropractic Spinal Adjustments Shown to Be Effective and Less Expensive Than Epidural for Herniated Disc Discomfort

Herniated discs have burdened many people that have come to our West Palm Beach office. Fortunately, Dr. Dennis has assisted most of them rebound quickly and more adequately. Herniated discs, sometime referred to as "slipped discs", can be treated with multiple remedies.

If you are suffering with discomfort due to a herniated disc, then you are likely querying which choice will work best for you. To support you in fielding that search, let's inspect two of the most frequently selected treatment options: chiropractic and epidural.

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

A body of researchers from Switzerland studied 102 patients, all of whom had chronically herniated discs verified by medical imaging. Any participant selected had previously received ninety days of treatment via alternatively available remedies without achieving success.

The pack of cohorts was divided into two groups. The first group of the participants were assigned to receive high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic treatments). The remaining half of individuals were provided nerve root injections (epidural).

The conductors of the study saved ratings regarding the pain levels of every person in advance of the remedy provided in the time of the research. Later, one month following treatment, participants rated their disc herniation discomfort on the same scale as previously. The change in the two ratings was applied to gauge how successful the intervention may have been for improving pain.

What did the research find about spinal adjustments compared to epidurals?

Greater than 76% of the participants who were administered chiropractic treatments scored an improvement in their pain. In the other half, not quite 63% of the individuals who were administered epidurals scored a minimization in discomfort. These findings suggest that chiropractic adjustments could be more effective for treating to remediate herniated disc pain.

On top of that, there’s more. In addition to providing a higher quantity of participants highly desired reduction in pain, researchers also recognized that spinal manipulation was more cost-effective. The nerve root injection treatments cost about $730 for a single patient. Chiropractic care was approximately $560 for an equal timespan. This type of savings could surely assist with anyone’s health care expenses. Spending less can make it possible to seek care of your disc herniation pain without additional burden.

If you want a higher chance of pain relief and lesser costs associated with your herniated disc care, give Dr. Dennis a call today at (561) 966-6171 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