Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation Reported as Effective and More Economical Than Epidural for Treating Herniated Disc Discomfort

Relief of Slipped Disc Pain in Asheville

Herniated discs have afflicted uncounted clients that have come to our Asheville practice. Fortunately, Dr. Myers has helped most of them recover speedily and more completely. Herniated discs, also known as "slipped discs", can be treated with a handful of methods.

If you are feeling irritation due to a herniated disc, then you are likely querying which option may provide the best outcome for you. To help you in settling that inquiry, let's inspect two of the most commonly employed treatments: chiropractic and epidural injections.

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

A group of researchers studied 102 individuals, all having had chronically herniated discs confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each participant chosen had already undergone 90 days of care via alternatively accessible treatment options with no significant improvement.

The pack of people being studied was divided into two subdivision. One half of the individuals underwent high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic adjustments). The second half of people in the study were administered nerve root injections (epidural).

The researchers gathered data in regards to the pain levels of each cohort in advance of the remedy administered at the time of the research. Later, one month following the receiving of treatment, cohorts scored their disc herniation pain on the same range as previously. The change between the two scores was applied to measure how useful the intervention was for remediating pain.

What did the study find about spinal adjustments against nerve root injections?

Over 76 percent of the patients who were provided chiropractic adjustments reported a decrease in their discomfort. In the other half, less than 63% of the people in the study who were administered epidurals expressed an improvement in discomfort. These results indicate that chiropractic treatment could be more effective when looking to resolve herniated disc pain.

And, there’s more. Beyond granting a higher count of individuals some much needed reduction in pain, researchers also recognized that spinal manipulation was more affordable. The nerve root injection treatments approximately cost $730 per a single individual. The chiropractic care ran approximately $560 for an equal time frame. This amount of savings may surely help with anyone’s budget. A lower cost may make it possible to look for care for your disc herniation pain without added hardship.

If you are interested in a higher probability of pain relief and lower costs when it comes to your herniated disc care, give Dr. Myers a call today at (828) 676-0963 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