In our Minneapolis practice, it's common for us to see people troubled with sciatica pain, and Dr. Erin Anderson has helped many of them heal with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic so beneficial to those who suffer with this condition? For starters, it reduces their healing time and a Norwegian medical study confirms it.

In the article, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, researchers looked at 44 patients who had abrupt low back pain that was clinically diagnosed as acute sciatica. The individuals were all treated by a chiropractor, with the mean follow-up being two years after treatment.

The researchers found that all but two patients returned to their jobs after receiving chiropractic treatment, which is a 95% success rate. Furthermore, the average period of time that the individuals spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Considering that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over 170,000 workdays were lost in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is nearly 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only would that increase productivity, but it might also decrease costs to businesses and workers from lost work.

If you live in Minneapolis and you suffer with sciatic pain, Dr. Erin Anderson is here to help. Give us a call at (612) 354-2231 and we'll work with you to find the source of your sciatica and get you back on the road to health.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

We see quite a few people with back pain in our Minneapolis office, and Dr. Erin Anderson has helped a lot of them find relief with chiropractic. However, dealing with back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical care, as many individuals use both types of care with great success.

Study Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Care Work Well with One Another

In a study published by the journal Spine investigators¹ looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute discomfort and restricted function due to back symptoms. Some of the test subjects received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the remainder were given chiropractic adjustments along with standard medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which patients fared better.

The authors determined that the patients who got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the group that received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits compared to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.

Therefore, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some unique advantages over medical treatment.

Where Chiropractic Wins

Although it might seem as if each approach plays a 50/50 role, there is one major advantage that chiropractic care has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study conducted at UCLA² that was published in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.

According to the experts, the main factors that patients favored over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors frequently spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as outlining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic.

Chiropractic Offers a Non-Invasive Approach

Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are quite different than those offered with medical care, but a great deal of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and well-being. Instead of focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means finding the root cause of your pain, which often means greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

Furthermore, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment like chiropractic. This means fewer negative responses to prescriptions and longer-lasting results.

You don't have to endure back pain or other health issues. Give our Minneapolis office a call today at (612) 354-2231. We'll do our best to help you get and remain free from back pain.

References

1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.