Sciatica in Berkeley, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to adequately express the ferocity of pain that accompanies it 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, seek the care of a medical professional right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Berkeley, MO and throughout Missouri. Our locally-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you sound, personalized, strategic care for your sciatica or other conditions near Berkeley, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the Berkeley area about sciatica care for you today or make an appointment online now.

What You Should Know About Sciatica

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the most extensive nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve begins in the nerve roots located in the low end of the spine to the pelvis, where it then reaches back to each buttock and travels down and through the back of each leg. Sciatica can be distinguished from general low back pain or other conditions because the pain from sciatica follows this precise nerve path.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis, as many people believe. In fact, sciatica describes conditions connected to the sciatic nerve that arise when an existing medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. The symptoms of sciatica vary greatly, but generally consist of pain sensations, weakness, numbness, or tingling down the buttock and leg. Unlike low back pain, people with sciatica experience symptoms down into the buttock, hamstrings, calves, or feet.

Do I Have Sciatica? – Sciatica Symptoms

Each individual experiences sciatica symptoms differently. Your sciatica’s exact presentation depends on where the damage or pressure is along the nerve root. Sciatica typically includes symptoms like pain, loss of sensation, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker of sciatica is the sensation of pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve from the low spine to the pelvis, buttocks, and legs. Most of the time, symptoms appear only on one side — either down the right buttock and leg or the left buttock and leg. There are, however, exceptions, and some sciatica patients are affected down both nerve paths. This simply depends on the position of the compression or pinching of the nerve.

Pain is such a significant component of the sciatica experience for Berkeley, MO sciatica sufferers. Pain from sciatica varies from:

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

If you are suffering from the debilitating pain and other limiting symptoms of sciatica, reach out to a medical professional with spine health expertise right away. Axes Physical Therapy’s Berkeley, MO area physical and occupational therapists will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and craft a treatment approach with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

What Causes Sciatica?

Most instances of sciatica are caused, in one way or another, by the irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully resolved with physical therapy in the Berkeley area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even resolve naturally over time with proper exercise and self-care. Other cases, when the sciatica is a result of direct compression of the sciatic nerve, may call for a more invasive treatment such as surgery.

Often, patients with conditions such as sciatica pain are not aware of what caused their condition. Whether you suffered an acute injury while playing sports or being active or woke up one day with sharp pains down your left leg that you can’t explain, our Berkeley, 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

Risk Factors for Sciatica near Berkeley, MO

You may be at a higher risk of developing sciatica and other physical and neurological conditions based on your background and activities. You are more likely to suffer from sciatica based on the following risk factors:

• Age. Over the years, our bodies degrade over time.
• Weight. The back muscles in heavier individuals are forced to work harder to keep the body upright, and their spinal discs and other joints are under more pressure.
• Other medical conditions. Diabetic patients are suseptable to nerve damage, and joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can cause pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Occupations 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 smoking can lead to inflammation and weakness.

What Sciatica Treatment Options Do I Have in Berkeley, MO?

There are a variety of approaches that are commonly used for sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, ranging from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical procedures, vary in proven efficacy. Regardless of their respective disciplines, medical providers who work with sciatica can all agree that being physically active is a critical component of managing and treating sciatica. This directly contradicts previous advice to confine patients to bed rest, which we now know is not effective in addressing disabiity or pain in patients.

Ultimately, you must seek the advice of a licensed medical professional before taking any actions related to your medical care. Our Berkeley, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Berkeley, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that means examining your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Berkeley, MO will provide a free screening before treating you so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and formulate an individualized treatment plan for your needs.

In addition to a history of success in treating Berkeley, MO area sciatica patients, our seasoned Berkeley area practitioners have what it takes to give you the care you need. Our team of experts in many different areas of the body and joint, nerve, and muscle conditions offer access to the care you need. Learn more below.

• Neck Pain Treatment
• 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

Popular Treatments for Sciatica in Berkeley, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals specializing in spine health and neurology recommend some of the following as treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care doctor, Berkeley, MO Axes physical therapist, and all other members of your treatment team will collectively to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement regarding which drugs are recommended for patients with sciatica, but as with any other drug, pharmaceuticals come with potential risks. Drugs for sciatica are most often used to supress symptoms, including the following types of medications:
  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Muscle relaxers
  • Antidepressants
  • Corticosteroids
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Opiod pain medications
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy is a powerful sciatica care method that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Physical therapy employs a wide range of treatment methods that target comprehensive movement health and directly heal the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Berkeley, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to obtain freedom from pain, improve your movement ability, become physically healthier, halt or prevent permanent damage and disability, and prevent future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Berkeley, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, bring your body into balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and release pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your health care professional might recommend one more more injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which are used to inject the steroid and anesthetic combination directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which deposit the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Berkeley, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily supress the irritation of the nerve to provide pain relief and potentially preserve mobility. The effects can wear off in weeks or months.
• Surgery. Because of the risk involved, surgery is usually not considered unless you have severe symptoms or your condition has not successfully healed with more conservative treatment methods. There are different surgeries that can be used to address sciatic, 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, any procedures should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for surgery for your sciatica if:
  • you have loss of bowel or bladder control
  • you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have significant neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Berkeley, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

One of the best things you can do for your sciatica is to move. 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 Berkeley, MO area.

The physical therapy we offer to sciatica patients in the Berkeley, MO area reflects the importance of movement. By working with a physical therapist near Berkeley, MO, you can strengthen and mobilize tissues in the lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs and heal the source of your sciatica.

The goals of physical therapy and exercise in treating sciatica are 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

Your dedicated Berkeley, MO physical therapist will design a plan incorporating 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 movement health care team at Axes Physical Therapy to determine the sciatica treatment modalities best for you and work together with your larger healthcare 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 physical therapist in Berkeley, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Berkeley, MO Now

When the excruciating pain and insurmountable limitations of sciatica prevent you from doing the activities that are important to you, find a trustworthy sciatica treatment provider right away. Receiving prompt and strategic physical therapy for your sciatica in the Berkeley, MO area can relieve your pain and restore the mobility you require to live your life.

Axes Physical Therapy offers accessible, convenient, and proven sciatica treatment near Berkeley, MO. Our fifteen Missouri physical therapy locations make it simple for you to get quality care. Find the location nearest you or request an appointment online right now.