Sadly, many of our Portland patients know the pain associated with a herniated disc all too well. Fortunately, Dr. Helton has helped many people with disc pain, and a number of scientific studies have verified that chiropractic can help people recover from this kind of condition.
In one study, a group of doctors from Switzerland selected 148 patients who were suffering with pain in their low back and legs due to a disc herniation (which was confirmed through magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI). Each person then received chiropractic adjustments that focused on the area of his or her disc herniation.
Data was obtained after the first treatment session at set intervals--namely, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year--to ascertain what kind of short-term and long-term effects, if any, chiropractic care offers when it comes to treating this particular condition. Among the information collected was the person's self-reported changes in both back and leg pain.
Investigators found that, overall, the study participants reported "significant improvement" for both types of pain every time the results were collected. In fact, over 90% of the patients stated that their pain "improved" within the first three months, with 88% still citing improvement one year after their first treatment session.
Even those patients who were defined as "chronic" still reported an improvement in pain at a rate of 89 percent one year beyond when treatment first began. This is the same positive effect that was found in the following case study.
In this paper, a 26-year-old man had presented with disc herniation symptoms such as pain in the lower back, left leg, and left groin area, along with left foot drop and muscle weakness. He had suffered with these symptoms for more than two years after sustaining a sports injury, and his disc herniation was confirmed via MRI.
After receiving chiropractic, "The patient responded favorably and his multi-symptom complex resolved within 90 days of treatment." In addition, the patient was still enjoying relief one year after the chiropractic intervention.
Studies like these show how helpful chiropractic can be when it comes to alleviating herniated disc pain and treating the symptoms they cause. So, if you are suffering from back pain caused by a herniated disc and wish to find some relief, chiropractic might be an effective solution.
Don't suffer from chronic herniated disc pain. Give our Portland office a call today at (503) 771-1974 for a consultation or appointment.
References
Dr. Helton, a Portland chiropractor, has been providing chiropractic health care and treatment for accident injuries for over 30 years. Dr. Helton specializes and is an expert in the evaluation and treatment of injuries from auto accidents. He has passed advanced certification training and testing by the Spine Research Institute of San Diego in the evaluation, treatment, and management of injuries from whiplash and brain traumatology.
