Sciatica in Bonne Terre, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to find words powerful enough to convey the caliber 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, seek the care of a medical professional right away.

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

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica describes the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the most extensive nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots located in the low end of the spine, then from the pelvis it branches out to each buttock and runs 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 diagnosisas people commonly assume. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe a number of symptoms connected to the sciatic nerve that surface when an existing medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. The symptoms of sciatica range greatly, but often consist of various forms of pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling down the buttock and leg. Unlike low back pain, you may find that your sciatica symptoms exist down into the glute area, hamstrings, calves, and feet and heels.

Am I Suffering from Sciatica?

Each sciatica patient experiences symptoms differently. Your sciatica’s exact presentation is dictated by the positioning of the pressure or damage to the nerve root. Sciatica typically includes symptoms like pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The hallmark 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. Typically, a patient with sciatica will experience symptoms only on one side — either the left or right hip and leg. However, it is possible for a patient to experience sciatic pain and symptoms on both sides. This is determined by where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Bonne Terre, MO. Pain from sciatica varies from:

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

If debilitating sciatica pain is degrading your quality of life, reach out to a medical professional with spine health expertise right away. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Bonne Terre, MO will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and craft a plan with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

Causes of Sciatica

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by the irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully repaired with physical therapy in the Bonne Terre area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, and some even resolve on their own as time passes and you practice safe exercise and home 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.

Usually, people with sciatica are not aware of what caused their condition. You may have been in an accident or developed nerve irritation over time. Whatever the case may be, our Bonne Terre, 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

Are You at a Higher Risk of Developing Sciatica in Bonne Terre, MO?

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

• Age. Over the years, 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 joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can result in pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Trades where you are required to lift heavy loads, perform frequent bending and twisting motions, or drive for long periods of time (which shakes the body through the vibrations of the vehicle on the road) can cause sciatica.
• Lifestyle. Lifestyle choices like a “couch potato” daily routine or smoking can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatments in Bonne Terre, MO Are Right for Me?

There are a variety of approaches that are often used for sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to intensive operations, vary in their accepted level of efficacy. The one thing that medical professionals agree on when it comes to sciatica treatment is that being physically active is an essential part of managing and treating sciatica. This is contrary to outdated recommendations to confine sicatica patients to bed rest, which is no longer an accepted treatment fo sciatica as it is not effective in addressing disabiity or pain in patients.

Remember that it is your responsibility to seek the advice of a licensed medical professional prior to taking any actions related to your medical care. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in the Bonne Terre, MO area have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Bonne Terre, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that includes studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key factors. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in Bonne Terre, MO will perform a complimentary screening before treating you so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and develop an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in treating Bonne Terre, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Bonne Terre area providers will deliver the care you need. We apply our knowledge and experience working with kinesiology and the musculoskeletal system toward providing people like you in Bonne Terre, MO with many forms of care, including the following

• 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

Treatments Options for Sciatica in Bonne Terre, MO

Healthcare professionals and especially those who are specialists in spinal care have found the following methods to be helpful in the treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your physician, Bonne Terre, MO Axes physical therapist, and any other necessary medical professionals will work together as a team to lay forth and carry out the most promising sciatica treatment plan for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information surrounding which drugs are effective for patients with sciatica, but as with any other drug, every medication comes with risk. Largely used in managing 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 treatment for sciatica that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapy will involve a number of treatment modalities that target comprehensive movement health and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Bonne Terre, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to enjoy pain relief, improve your movement ability, heal stronger, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or sciatica flair-ups. Your Bonne Terre, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, restore balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and relieve pressure.
• Injections. For some patients with sciatica, a medical provider might recommend one more more injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which apply the steroid and anesthetic combination directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which aim the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Bonne Terre, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve for the purposes of pain relief and maintain the ability to function. Injection treatment effects can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.
• Surgery. Due to its risk and inherent invasive nature, surgical treatment is usually not considered unless you have severe symptoms or your condition has not responded well to more conservative approaches. There are a number of operations that can be used to address sciatic, including a microdiscectomy to remove a herniated disc or a laminectomy where the surgeon removes part of the vertebral bones to remove 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 should consider surgery for your sciatica if:
  • you lose control of your bowel and/or bladder
  • you have bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Bonne Terre, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

Staying active is one of the most important things for people with sciatica to do. Practicing physical activity, stretching, and practicing exercises that target the source of your sciatica are highly effective and critical parts of any Bonne Terre, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Bonne Terre, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near Bonne Terre, 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.

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

In order to restore your movement health and deliver you sustainable relief from sciatica pain, your Axes physical therapist in the Bonne Terre, MO area might include a number 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 identify the sciatica treatment modalities best for you and 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 specialist in Bonne Terre, MO now to discuss your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Bonne Terre, MO Now

When the agonizing pain and alarming limitations of sciatica prevent you from the life you want and the activities you enjoy, find a trustworthy sciatica treatment provider right away. Timely and thoughtful physical therapy for your sciatica in the Bonne Terre, MO area can relieve your pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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