Chiropractic Spinal Manipulative Therapy for Acute Sciatica Secondary to Lumbar Disc Herniation

Comparisons of surgical and non-operative treatment of patients with acute sciatica secondary to lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (AS/LDH) have shown no appreciable difference in outcome. The composition of the non-operative treatment of this patient population remains poorly defined. Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) has demonstrated value in the treatment of AS/LDH. Recent preliminary studies suggest that SMT provides therapeutic benefit through the modulation of in vivo inflammatory mediators. This feasibility study will define the key experimental variables required to conduct a large multicentre study that will clarify the biological and clinical outcomes of SMT in the treatment of patients with AS/LDH.