Chiropractic Adjustments Reported as Effective and More Economical Than Epidural for Treating Herniated Disc Patients

Herniated discs have annoyed many patients that have visited our Napa office. Fortunately, Dr. Bettencourt has helped most of them rebound quickly and more completely. Herniated discs, or "slipped discs", can be treated with several different approaches.

If you are experiencing irritation caused by a herniated disc, then you are likely querying which choice will work best for you. To support you in solving that question, let's review two of the most commonly employed treatment options: chiropractic and lumbar nerve root injection/epidural.

Study Comparing Improvements from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A body of researchers from Switzerland studied 102 participants, all having had chronically herniated discs confirmed by medical imaging. Each participant chosen had already received three months of treatment through other applicable treatment options with no significant improvement.

The pool of individuals was split into two treatment paths. One half of the individuals were treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic adjustments). The next half of individuals were treated with nerve root injections (epidural).

The organizers of the study saved data regarding the pain levels of every person before the remedy given at the time of the research. Then, one month following the receiving of treatment, people in the study reported their disc herniation pain on the same range as at the beginning. The difference between the two reports was used to calculate how useful the care may have been for improving pain.

What did the study find about spinal manipulations versus nerve root injections?

Just over 76% of the participants who were treated with chiropractic treatments expressed a reduction in their discomfort. In the other group, fewer than 63% of the people in the study who received epidurals recorded an improvement in discomfort. The scores imply that chiropractic adjustments could possibly be more successful when treating to remediate herniated disc discomfort.

And, that isn't all. In addition to giving a higher number of individuals highly desired reduction in pain, researchers also determined that chiropractic treatment was less expensive. Epidural treatments approximately cost $730 for a single recipient. The chiropractic treatment ran less than $560 for the same timespan. This cost savings may surely help with anyone’s budget. Saving money may make it more viable to seek treatment for your disc herniation pain without added stress.

If you are interested in a better chance of effectiveness and lower costs associated with your herniated disc care, give Dr. Bettencourt a call today at (707) 257-3600 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