I'm a DC.
You have every right to be concerned about treatments making your situation worse -I would stress you apply that concern equally to all possible treatments.
I'm not going to second guess another physician over the internet; in general it sounds as if this is not an emergent situation. Nor can I conduct an examination over the internet, so take all this as general info not advice or Dr-patient consultation.
If you have muscle weakness, distinct changes in sensation, or any change/difficulty with bowel/bladder or sexual function you should consider it an emergency and seek immediate care. If you reported any of the previous and weren't treated very seriously, or if your examination did not involve reflexes at several spots, numerous muscle strength tests, a tuning fork, and drawing letters or numbers on your skin you MAY not have gotten a very good evaluation.
An MRI is really the only sensible advanced imaging given what you relate. Keep in mind that modern studies show that a very large percentage of adults are walking around with notable disc herniations that are not symptomatic in any way, and that sciatic symptoms can originate at several locations unrelated to "spurs" or disc herniations. Disc bulge on MRI does not = source of problem, there are additional neuro tests such as SSEP, EMG, and NCV.
A good chiropractor will either help you directly and fairly quickly or send you right to a neurologist or orthopedic surgeon, a poor chiropractor will help very little and not hurt you, and -unfortunately- a really bad chiropractor could certainly make you feel worse. Your situation with MD's is about the same with the major difference being that with a bad MD you could end up with surgery you didn't need and additional problems, and poor MD's give the general idea that pain-killers = a cure when there are other options.
Fortunately for patients (and chiropractors) the decades of poor outcomes from over-enthusiastic application of surgery contrast sharply with very good results and very few problems from conservative manual care and spinal manipulation (or even just plain "wait and see").
I would suggest you consider consulting with the chiropractor with the best reputation in your area (possibly someone who has "Flexion and Distraction" equipment) and that overall you do/allow NO treatment that you are not 100% comfortable with -ultimately it is your body and you have to deal with the outcome.
Someone mentioned PT and that may be an important part of the plan -WRT overall rehab/exercises. There are very few PT/DPT's who receive much training in joint manipulation. Not a slam on them but a sore spot given their professional organization's recent switch from anti-manipulation to "we've always manipulated and chiro's are still quacks". Suffice it to say that chiropractors receive more PT training than DPT's do of manipulation and I still send patients to them for rehab, and good PT's do the reverse for manipulation.
Everybody needs to recognize their limitations: if you end up at a physician or other specialist who tells you they can do everything anyone else can, or that absolutely no other specialty is any good, you have either found the perfect Dr or may be in the wrong place. The notable exception being the case where you are thoroughly evaluated and educated by a trusted physician, found to be in need of surgery, and then referred to an ortho who is so good they have developed a superiority complex -then you are in the right place
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Best of luck. I'm not active online too much but will try to check back soon.
C
