Dr. DeForest's Off Road Health Tips

Sciatica Pain

Hello Off- Road Readers! Hope that this information as posted below will help you and or your friends and family.

With full credits to Dr Steven Read "Most Effective Form of Discrelated Sciatica" and my own additional comments as posted below.

Chiropractic - Most Effective Form of Disc-related Sciatica

Dr. Steven Read

Back pain is one of the most common problems most of us face on a day-today basis. Its reason, however, may be one amongst several possibilities, such as sciatica with disc protrusion, muscle strain, spinal stenosis, spine arthritis, to name a few. Acute back pain and sciatica can be one of the most common reasons that can cause you months of sleepless nights due to a lower back pain, pain in buttocks and in some parts of your feet. The most frustrating aspect of the pain due to sciatica is that there are no silver bullets that guarantee a quick relief from the set of symptoms collectively known as sciatica.

Thankfully, chiropractic care has been seen as an effective way of the pain management and a successful way for relief from the acute back pain and sciatica with disc protrusion. According to a study published in Spine Journal in year 2006, chiropractic treatment is a successful method for reducing and eliminating the acute lower back pain resulted due to sciatica. It has been proved as a result of a random double-blind clinical trial on a set of more than one hundred patients experiencing severe pain and had disc protrusions. The trial was conducted on two groups of patients; one who received real chiropractic care by doctors of chiropractic at a frequency of 5 days per week. On the second group, the technique known as simulated manipulations was performed in order to conclude a clear comparison between both the groups. Evidently, the sciatica patients who received the real chiropractic care by experienced chiropractors had a faster rate of improvement and relief than those who were treated with simulated manipulations.

In terms of exact resultant figures, nearly 55% of the patients receiving chiropractic care were relieved of radiating pain as compared to the 20% patients from the other group receiving the simulated manipulations. Also, 28% of the patients receiving care from chiropractors were free from the local pain as opposed to the 6% of those who received the simulated manipulations.

This not only proved that chiropractic care has been effective in pain management, it also was free from the side effects of drugs. The conclusion of this study was that chiropractic care is much more effective in the treatment of sciatica patients than the simulated manipulations or other techniques of sciatica treatment.

The biggest issue is that these treatments used by many chiropractors are just underutilized in general. People are sent for pain killing drugs first by most of the medical doctors. Then maybe to physical therapy and 6 to 8 weeks of hoping the drugs will make the symptoms and pain go away. It's just covering it up. Then next if PT fails is often surgery. No mention or referral for a trial of chiropractic treatments in 90% of cases. Really too bad. It's a disservice to the patient at best, as "by hand" chiropractic adjustments can take the pressure off the disc, the joint surfaces and the nerves. This is treating the CAUSE of the symptoms. Not just covering it up with addictive and deadly pain-killing drugs.

Real, by hand, chiropractic adjustments, when possible are always the best route. Other chiropractic techniques can also be effective such as: Lumbar Flexion Traction for Sciatic conditions (pain, numbness, tingling down legs, can go all the way to feet and toes when severe) and EMS, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, but not TENS units, (Trans-Electrical Neuro-stimulator) that is just an electrical pain blocker).

Dr. Gary DeForest is a San Diego based Chiropractor of 36 years in practice with his clinic in Mission Valley. He is always happy to talk to you concerning any health issues. He can be reached at 619-2912462, clinic. Or e-mail at deforest192@ yahoo.com or Yelp.com.