BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A U.S. study indicated that surgery and physical therapy both work at eliminating the pain caused by sciatica, though surgery is slightly better than non-surgical medical treatment.

    The study was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

    The study, supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was intended to help settle the long-standing controversy over the effectiveness of spinal surgery to repair a slipped disk compared to conservative therapy that includes special exercises and anti-inflammatory drugs.

    Sciatica refers to pain that begins in the hip and buttocks and continues all the way down the leg. This condition is often accompanied by low back pain, which can be more or less severe than the leg pain.

    Researchers compared recovery from surgery and non-surgical treatments over two years. The study was conducted in 13 spine clinics in 11 states.

    Dr. David R. Flum of the University of Washington commented, "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.

    The decision to choose surgery or non-surgical treatments often depends on the severity of pain, health experts said.

    Susan Filskov, who took part in the study and chose surgery over therapy, said of the pain she felt before surgery, "I was at the point where I couldn't sleep in my bed.

    "If you can get physical therapy and work through it, that's great. But if you're at the point where you just can't tolerate anymore, there are other options."

    (Agencies)