Sciatica in Flint Hill, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to find words powerful enough to convey the intensity of pain that accompanies it and just how disabling it can become. If you suspect that you may have sciatica or have been diagnosed with a sciatic nerve condition, seek the care of a medical professional right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Flint Hill, MO and throughout Missouri. These provider-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you sound, personalized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near Flint Hill, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Flint Hill area about sciatica care for you today or request an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the most extensive nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots located in the lower spine to the pelvis, where it then splits off to each buttock and runs 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.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosisas people commonly assume. In fact, sciatica describes conditions related to the sciatic nerve that surface when an underlying medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica patients’ symptoms range wildly, but generally include various forms of pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling down the buttock and 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, and feet.

Do I Have Sciatica? – Sciatica Symptoms

Each individual experiences sciatica symptoms differently. The presentation of your sciatica depends on where the damage or pressure is along the nerve root. Symptoms that accompany sciatica include pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain that is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker 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 the left or right hip and leg. There are, however, exceptions, and some sciatica patients are affected on both sides. This is determined by the position of the compression or pinching of the nerve.

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

• 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 Flint Hill, MO area physical and occupational therapists will guide you on your journey to a full recovery and design a plan of action to return you to the life you want to live.

Common Causes of Sciatica

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by the irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve inflammation is easily repaired with physical therapy in the Flint Hill area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, and some even heal 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.

A lot of times, patients with conditions such as sciatica pain 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 Flint Hill, 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

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. As we age, our bodies undergo natural wear and tear and the bone and soft tissue in joints including the spine can wear away and increase your risk of sciatica.
• 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. Diabetic patients are suseptable to nerve damage, and joint-related diagnoses 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 tobacco use can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatments in Flint Hill, MO Are Right for Me?

There are numerous treatments that are commonly used for sciatica patients. These treatments, ranging from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to intensive procedures, vary in their accepted level of efficacy. The one thing that medical professionals agree on when it comes to sciatica treatment is that physical activity is an essential part 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.

Remember that it is your responsibility to consult with a licensed medical professional prior to making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Flint Hill, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy are committed to providing Flint Hill, MO with access to healthcare that maximizes movement health and quality of life. For you, that means examining your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical factors. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy movement healthcare provider near Flint Hill, MO will provide a free screening before treating you so that we can truly understand your condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for your needs.

In addition to specializing in the Flint Hill, MO treatment of sciatica, our seasoned Flint Hill area practitioners 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 Flint Hill, MO with many forms of care. 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

Types of Treatments for Sciatica in Flint Hill, 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 physician, Flint Hill, MO Axes physical therapist, and all other members of your treatment team will work together as a team to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement surrounding which drugs are recommended for treating sciatica, but as with any other drug, every medication comes with the risk of side effects, which can be severe. 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 an impactful sciatica care approach that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Physical therapy employs a wide range of treatment methods that target comprehensive movement health and directly heal the source of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Flint Hill, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to obtain pain relief, improve your ability to move, become physically healthier, avoid permanent damage and disability, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Flint Hill, 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 provider might try administering an injection or series of injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which are used to inject a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which deliver the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. Injections in Flint Hill, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve to provide pain relief and maintain the ability to function. The effects can wear off in weeks or months.
• Surgery. Because of how invasive and high risk it often is, a surgical operation is usually reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not successfully healed with more conservative approaches. There are a number of surgical procedures that can be used to address sciatic, including a microdiscectomy where the surgeon removes the herniated disc or a laminectomy where the surgeon removes part of the vertebral bones to remove direct pressure on your sicatic nerve. For best chances of success, operations 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 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 Flint Hill, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

Staying active is one of the most important things for people with sciatica to do. Keeping an active lifestyle, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Flint Hill, MO area.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Flint Hill, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near Flint Hill, 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 Flint Hill, 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 best for you. Your Flint Hill, MO physical therapist will act as an integral player in 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 medical provider in Flint Hill, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Flint Hill, MO Now

When the agonizing pain and insurmountable limitations of sciatica prevent you from doing the activities that are important to you, get quality care for your sciatica right away. Swift and thoughtful physical therapy for your sciatica in the Flint Hill, MO area can free you from the pain and restore the mobility you depend upon to live your life.

Axes Physical Therapy offers accessible, convenient, and proven sciatica treatment near Flint Hill, MO. 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.