Sciatica in Farmington, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to adequately express the severity of pain that accompanies it and just how disabling it can become. If you have been diagnosed with or believe you suffer from sciatica, or a condition that affects the sciatic nerve, seek expert medical care right away.

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

What You Should Know About Sciatica

Sciatica describes the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the most extensive nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve begins in the nerve roots in the lower spine to the pelvis, where it then reaches back 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 the path of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe conditions related to the sciatic nerve that arise when an existing medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica patients’ symptoms range greatly, but frequently 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 glute area, hamstrings, calves, and feet.

Am I Suffering from 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. Sciatica typically includes symptoms like pain, loss of sensation, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The hallmark of sciatica is pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve which begins in the lower spine and travels through the hips and posterior, down the back of each leg. Most of the time, symptoms appear only on one side — either the left or right hip and leg. There are, however, exceptions, and some sciatica patients are affected down both nerve paths. This simply depends on where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Farmington, MO. Sciatica pain can range from:

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

If debilitating sciatica pain is degrading your quality of life, contact a medical professional specializing in spine health right away. Axes Physical Therapy’s Farmington, MO area physical and occupational therapists will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and design a plan to return you to the life you want to live.

Common Causes of 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 cured with physical therapy in the Farmington area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, and some even resolve naturally as time passes and you practice safe exercise and home 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 do not know what caused their pain to begin with. You may have been in an accident or developed nerve irritation over time. Whatever the case may be, our Farmington, MO area physical therapists are equipped to provide you with accessible, epirically-supported restorative care.

Common Reasons for Sciatica

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

Risk Factors for Sciatica near Farmington, 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, the tissues in 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 conditions like osteoarthritis can result in pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Occupations 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 sedentary lifestyle or smoking can cause inflammation and weakness.

Finding the Right Farmington, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are a variety of approaches that are often used for sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, ranging from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to intensive procedures, vary in their accepted level of efficacy. Regardless of their respective disciplines, medical providers who work with sciatica can all agree that physical activity is a critical component 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 making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Farmington, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy are committed to to guiding individuals of all types in the Farmington, MO area to optimal movement health. For you, that means examining your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical information. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in Farmington, MO will perform a free screening before treating you so that we can truly understand your condition and formulate an individualized treatment plan for your needs.

In addition to specializing in treating Farmington, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Farmington 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 Farmington, MO with many forms of care, including the following

• 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 Farmington, 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 physician, Farmington, MO Axes physical therapist, and all other members of your treatment team will work in tandem to provide you with the sciatica care that is right for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information surrounding which drugs are recommended for treating sciatica, but just like with any medications for any condition, pharmaceuticals come with risk. Drugs for sciatica are most often used to quell symptoms, including the following types of medications:
  • 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 services that target comprehensive movement health and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Farmington, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to achieve freedom from pain, improve your mobility, become physically healthier, avoid permanent damage and disability, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Farmington, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, restore balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and relieve pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your medical provider might try administering an injection or series of 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 administer the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Farmington, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve to provide pain relief and maintain mobility. Injection treatment effects can wear off in weeks or months.
• Surgery. Because of the risk involved, surgery 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 that can be used to address sciatic, such as a microdiscectomy to remove a herniated disc or a laminectomy to remove bone spurs or parts of vertebrae putting direct pressure on your sicatic nerve. To maximize your chances of success, surgery should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for sciatica surgery if:
  • you experience incontinence
  • you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are putting direct pressure on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Farmington, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

One of the best things you can do for your sciatica is to move. Practicing physical activity, stretching, and practicing exercises designed to help address sciatica are essential parts of any Farmington, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Farmington, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near Farmington, MO will guide you in activities and exercises that strengthen and mobilize tissues in the lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs and find true relief from your sciatica.

The benefits of physical therapy for someone with sciatica include the following:

• 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 Farmington, 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 identify the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most and work together with your full 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 specialist in Farmington, MO now to discuss your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Farmington, MO Now

When the harrowing 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 personalized physical therapy for your sciatica in the Farmington, MO area can free you from the pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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