Dr. Phelts sees many patients weekly in our busy New York chiropractic office who are looking for relief from the pain and distress they feel due to herniated discs. Our experience isn't unique; the medical literature verifies that chiropractic care is a successful way to treat herniated disc pain.

Don't Suffer! Dr. Phelts and Chiropractic Care Helps With Disc Herniation

One particular research project involved 27 people, 8 male and 19 female, who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirming a disc herniation in either their neck or lower back. The people reported that they were experiencing pain, limited range of motion, and sensory issues bad enough to keep them off work.

During the course of the research period, the individuals were treated using one of two common chiropractic methods: traction for herniated discs in the cervical area or flexion distraction for the patients who had herniation issues in the lumbar area.

Each individual was treated four or five times per week for the first two weeks, then three times each week, and then as needed for the remainder of the study. Depending on the seriousness of the disc herniation, treatment ranged anywhere from six weeks to six months, with MRIs being performed at various stages to identify what impact, if any, the chiropractic care was having in regard to the disc herniation.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Herniated Disc

The investigators reported that 80 percent of the patients experienced a "good clinical outcome," meaning reduced pain and a reduction in other symptoms, such as numbness. Additionally, 77 percent of these subjects also showed MRI evidence that their disc herniation was either reduced or resolved completely. This resulted in 78 percent of the study subjects being able to return to their place of work and led the authors to conclude that chiropractic adjustments is both "safe and helpful" for disc herniations.

If you have a herniated disc and suffer from chronic back pain and are near Dr. Phelts in New York, contact our office today to see what chiropractic can do for you!

Reference
BenEliyahu, DJ. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical follow-up: study of 27 patients receiving chiropractic care for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996;19(9):597-606.