Chiropractic Treatment Methods Found Effective and Less Expensive Than Epidural for Treating Herniated Disc Discomfort

Herniated discs have tormented numerous clients that have visited our Philadelphia practice. Fortunately, Bridesburg Spine and Injury Clinic has assisted plenty of them recover quickly and more adequately. Herniated discs, sometime referred to as "slipped discs", can be treated with several different strategies.

If you are experiencing discomfort caused by a herniated disc, then you may be querying which choice will work best for you. To help you in settling that search, let's review two of the most popularly used treatments: chiropractic/manipulative therapy and epidural.

Research Compared Outcomes from Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) and Nerve Root Injections (NRI)

A group of researchers from Switzerland studied 102 patients, all of whom had chronically herniated discs validated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Any cohort chosen had already received 90 days of treatment through alternatively available treatment options with no success.

The pack of people being studied was divided into two treatment paths. The first half of the participants were assigned to receive high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulation treatment (chiropractic adjustments). The second half of patients received nerve root injections (epidural).

The organizers of the study obtained data regarding the pain levels of each individual prior to the care provided during the study. Then, one month following care, cohorts scored their disc herniation pain on the same scoring system as at the beginning. The difference between the two grades was used to measure how effective the care was for remediating pain.

What did the study find about spinal adjustments versus epidurals?

More than 76 percent of the individuals who were treated with chiropractic care expressed a reduction in their pain. On the other side, not quite 63 percent of the cohorts who were provided epidurals expressed a reduction in discomfort. The scores imply that chiropractic adjustments could possibly be more effective when treating to resolve herniated disc discomfort.

And, that isn't all. Beyond giving a larger amount of participants highly desired reduction in pain, researchers also gleaned that spinal manipulation was more affordable. Epidural treatments were roughly $730 for a single recipient. The chiropractic care ran less than $560 for the same duration. This amount of savings could surely help with your health care expenses. Saving money may make it feasible to pursue care for your disc herniation pain without extra burden.

If you want a higher chance of effectiveness and lesser costs when it comes to your herniated disc care, give Bridesburg Spine and Injury Clinic a call today at (215) 743-5330 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