Surgical and Non-surgical Treatments Gauge Equally for Herniated Disc

A study intended to determine the effectiveness of surgical procedure to repair a herniated disc over other therapies like exercise and administration of anti-inflammatory drugs concludes that patients respond equally to both medical treatments.

Follow up examination after two years reported significant improvement among patients, baseless of the fact whether they had opted for surgical or a non surgical procedure. However, neither strategy offered complete relief to patients.

Disc herniation is a pathological condition in which the disc cushioning the vertebrae in the spine bulges out and pushes against nerves, causing excruciating pain in the leg, thigh and hip known as sciatica.

The study, supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and initiated by the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT) in March 2000 took up randomized clinical patient records up till November 2004.

Based on a standardized protocol for all participating institutions, the SPORT study was conducted at 13 multidisciplinary spine practices in 11 US states (California, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Pennsylvania).

501 patients (58% men and 42% women; average age 42 years) with imaging-confirmed lumbar intervertebral disk herniation and persistent signs and symptoms of radiculopathy for at least 6 weeks were enrolled for the study.

Researchers compared recovery from surgery and non-surgical treatments at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 and 2 years from enrollment.

Changes from baseline for the Medical Outcomes Study and the modified Oswestry Disability Index were taken as the primary outcomes, while secondary outcomes included sciatica severity as measured by the Sciatica Bothersomeness Index, satisfaction with symptoms, self-reported improvement, and employment status.

Commenting on equal stats of both treatments Dr. David R. Flum from the University of Washington said, “This study for the first time showed very significant improvement in the patients who ended up with non-operative treatment”.

"On the other hand, if they had to engage in a surgical option they also did quite well and there weren't a lot of side effects. We also learned that patients don't get a lot worse in either treatment," he added.

Key points to consider before opting for a method therefore stand as severity of pain, time, and disability associated along with the cost factor. Cost for surgical procedure ranges between $6000 and $10000.

An estimated 12 million Americans suffer from degenerative disc disease annually. About 250,000 opt for disk surgery for sciatica, while other's choose physical therapy, painkillers or rest.