More than 500,000 Americans undergo disk-related spinal surgery every year in the homes of finding relief from painful back and spinal conditions. Thousands more undergo other forms of back surgery in the hopes of pain relief or improved back function. Up to half of those patients may have been able to avoid painful, expensive surgery if they had sought out chiropractic care for their condition rather than a traditional medical practitioner.

According to a 2013 study published in the journal Spine, the treatment patients with similar back ailments received was determined more by what type of medical help they initially sought than by what treatment would be most beneficial to the patient.

Researchers in this study wanted to determine why some lumbar pain patients were more likely to undergo back surgery than other similar patients. To determine which patients chose surgery, researchers studied the medical records of 1,885 patients with work-related back injuries in the state of Washington.

What they found is sobering.

The determining factor in which patients underwent painful, potentially high-risk surgery interventions appeared to be tied more to the type of medical help sought by the patient than by the patient’s condition.

Nearly half of the patients who sought out traditional medical care first – 42.7 percent – eventually underwent lumbar surgery to treat their condition. In comparison, only 1.5 percent of patients who initially sought chiropractic treatment – before or in lieu of traditional medical care – resorted to surgery.

Natural, conservative chiropractic treatment allowed nearly all of those patients who started their treatment with a chiropractor to avoid lumbar surgery. This allowed those patients to recover faster at a much lower risk than patients who chose surgery.

In addition, chiropractic medicine also helps patients see tremendous savings in their cost of treatment versus patients who undergo surgery. This also translates into lower annual medical cost for chiropractic patients.

At Lexington Family Chiropractic, we offer safe, compassionate, and effective chiropractic care for your entire family.

Contact us today to see if chiropractic medicine is right for you.