Sciatica in Augusta, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to adequately express the ferocity of pain it causes and the degree of distress and disability the condition can wreak on your life. If you have been diagnosed with or believe you suffer from sciatica, or a condition that affects the sciatic nerve, get the care you need right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of multiple Augusta, MO area physical therapy treatment clinics. Our locally-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you sound, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other conditions near Augusta, MO. Talk to a physical therapist in the Augusta area about your sciatica today or book an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve begins in the nerve roots located in the lower spine to the pelvis, where it then reaches back to each buttock and travels down and through the back of each leg. People frequently confuse low back pain and sciatica, but sciatica is distinct in that the pain because the pain from sciatica runs along the path of the sciatic nerve.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica describes a set of symptoms tied to the sciatic nerve that arise when an underlying medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. Sciatica symptoms vary wildly, but frequently include various forms of pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling that can extend from the buttock all the way down the leg. While low back pain in constrained to the immediate area around the back (though other conditions affecting the low back and lead to tightness, imbalance, and overcompensation that causes additional physical problems), people with sciatica experience symptoms down into the buttock, legs, or feet.

Symptoms of Sciatica

The type and severity of sciatica symptoms vary from case to case. Your sciatica’s exact presentation is dictated by the positioning of the pressure or damage to the nerve root. Symptoms that accompany sciatica include pain, loss of sensation, weakness, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The hallmark of sciatica is pain that travels along the sciatic nerve which begins in the lower spine and travels through the hips and posterior, down the back of each leg. Typically, a patient with sciatica will experience symptoms only on one side — either down the right buttock and leg or the left buttock and leg. However, it is possible for a patient to experience sciatic pain and symptoms on both sides. This simply depends on where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

Pain is such a significant component of the sciatica experience for Augusta, MO sciatica sufferers. This nerve-related pain is described by patients as:

• Sharp
• Jolting
• Shooting
• Burning
• Electric
• Stabbing
• Tingling

If debilitating sciatica pain is preventing you from living your life, get in touch with a medical professional specializing in spine health as soon as possible. Axes Physical Therapy’s Augusta, MO area physical and occupational therapists will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and design a plan of action to return you to the life you want to live.

Causes of Sciatica

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by some form of irritation to or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully repaired with physical therapy in the Augusta area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even resolve naturally over time with proper exercise and self-care. However, for patients suffering from sciatica due to the direct compression of the sciatic nerve, more aggressive treatments like invasive surgery may be used.

Often, people with sciatica are not aware of what caused their condition. You may have sustained trauma or developed nerve irritation over time. Whatever the case may be, our Augusta, MO area physical therapists have the clinical success and up-to-date evidence-based knowledge you need and deserve from your sciatica treatment professional.

Most Common Sciatica Causes

• Herniated disc
• Slipped disc
• Bone spur
• Spinal stenosis
• Piriformis syndrome
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spondylolisthesis
• Pregnancy
• Vertebral fracture

Major Risk Factors for Sciatica

Certain activities and conditions could put you at a higher risk of developing painful, restrictive, debilitating conditions like sciatica. Risk factors tied to sciatica include:

• Age. As we age, the tissues in our bodies degrade over time.
• Weight. The more weight on your body, the harder your back muscles have to work, and the more pressure the tissue in your spine and pelvic joints face.
• Other medical conditions. Diabetes causes a higher rate of nerve damage in patients, and conditions like osteoarthritis can cause pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Jobs that require lifting heavy loads for long periods, frequent bending and twisting, or driving (causing the up-and-down movement and vibration of the body) can cause sciatica.
• Lifestyle. Lifestyle choices like a sedentary lifestyle or use of nicotine can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatments in Augusta, MO Are Right for Me?

There are a variety of approaches that are often used to treat sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical procedures, vary in proven efficacy. The one thing that medical professionals agree on when it comes to sciatica treatment is that physical activity is an essential component of managing and treating sciatica. This directly contradicts previous advice to confine patients to bed rest, which we now know does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Remember that it is your responsibility to turn to a licensed medical professional before making any decisions about your own medical care. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in the Augusta, MO area have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Augusta, MO area to optimal movement health. For you, that means examining your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Augusta, MO will provide a complimentary screening before treating you so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to a history of success in treating Augusta, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Augusta area practitioners have what it takes to give you the care you need. We apply our knowledge and experience working with kinesiology and the musculoskeletal system toward providing people like you in Augusta, MO with many forms of care. Learn more below.

• Physical Therapy Clinic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Treatments Options for Sciatica in Augusta, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals specializing in spine health and neurology have found the following methods to be helpful in the treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care doctor, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Augusta, MO, and any other necessary medical professionals will work together as a team to provide you with the sciatica care that is right for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information surrounding which drugs are effective for treating sciatica, but just like with any other drug, every medication comes with risk. Largely used in reducing the experience of sciatica symptoms, some drugs that can be used for sciatca patients include:
  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Muscle relaxers
  • Antidepressants
  • Corticosteroids
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Opiod pain medications
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy is a powerful sciatica care approach that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapist will use a number of treatment services that address the body as a whole and repair the root cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Augusta, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to enjoy pain relief, improve your movement ability, become physically healthier, avoid permanent damage and disability, and reduce the risk of future injuries or sciatica flair-ups. Your Augusta, MO physical therapist will treat your sciatica pain with treatment methods that improve your posture, restore balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and relieve pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your doctor might try administering one more more injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which apply a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which administer the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Augusta, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily supress inflammation around the irritated nerve to provide pain relief and potentially preserve movement abilities needed for daily living. Injection treatment effects can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.
• Surgery. Because of the risk involved, surgical treatment is usually reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not responded well to more conservative treatment methods. There are a number of surgeries for sciatica depending on the cause of the condition, including a microdiscectomy where the surgeon removes the herniated disc or a laminectomy to remove bone spurs or parts of vertebrae putting direct pressure on your sicatic nerve. To optimize your ability to be successful in your surgery, surgery should be proceeded and followed by pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for sciatica surgery if:
  • you have loss of bowel or bladder control
  • you have bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • you have not experienced or are no longer experiencing lasting relief or healing with other treatments

Benefits of Augusta, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

The medical community agrees that physical movement is one of the best things for someone with sciatica to do. Keeping an active lifestyle, stretching, and practicing exercises that target the source of your sciatica are proven, necessary in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Augusta, MO area.

The physical therapy we offer to sciatica patients in the Augusta, MO area reflects the importance of movement. Your Axes physical therapist near Augusta, MO will guide you in activities and exercises that strengthen and mobilize tissues in the lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs and heal the source of your sciatica.

Our physical therapy services work to:

• Improve functional movement
• Relieve sciatic nerve pain
• Reduce muscle spasms
• Restore function of the lumbar spine and the sacroiliac joint
• Improve mobility of the lower body
• Foster a better healing environment in the lower back
• Restore overall balance and proper posture in the back and legs
• Promote neurologic adaptations to reduce the perception of pain
• Prevent future pain flareups and permanent nerve damage
• Foster confidence in your ability to move pain-free

In order to restore your movement health and deliver you sustainable relief from sciatica pain, your Axes physical therapist in the Augusta, MO area might include a variety of different treatment modalities in your sciatica treatment plan, such as:

• Hot and cold therapies
• TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stiumlation
• Ultrasound
• Flexbiliby and strength exercises
• Joint manipulation
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Dry needling
• Education and training for posure, safe technique, and activity modifications

Trust your spine and musculoskeletal expert at Axes Physical Therapy to determine the sciatica treatment modalities best for you. Your Augusta, MO physical therapist will act as an integral player in your full medical team to help you manage your sciatica symptoms, alleviate the underlying irritation of your sciatic nerve, and reclaim the strength, flexibility, and full range of motion of a healthy individual. Speak to a medical provider in Augusta, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Augusta, MO Now

When the agonizing pain and insurmountable limitations of sciatica get in the way of doing the activities that are important to you, get quality care for your sciatica right away. Swift and strategic physical therapy for your sciatica in the Augusta, MO area can relieve your pain and return you to optimal mobility.

Access convenient, effective sciatica treatment from Axes Physical Therapy near Augusta, MO today. Our fifteen Missouri physical therapy locations make it possible for you to get the care you need. Find the location nearest you or request an appointment online right now.