Sciatica in Florissant, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to adequately express the caliber 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 expert medical care right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of fifteen physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Florissant, 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 Florissant, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the Florissant area about your sciatica today or schedule an appointment online now.

Understanding 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 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 runs along the path of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica describes conditions connected to the sciatic nerve that surface when an underlying medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. Sciatica symptoms range greatly, but generally include 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.

Am I Suffering from Sciatica?

Each individual experiences sciatica symptoms differently. 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, numbness, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker of sciatica is the sensation of 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 down the right buttock and leg or the left buttock and leg. There are, however, exceptions, and some sciatica patients are affected on both sides. This simply depends on the position of the compression or pinching of the nerve.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Florissant, MO. 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, contact a medical professional with spine health expertise right away. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Florissant, MO will lead you in your recovery and design a treatment plan with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

Causes of Sciatica

Most instances of sciatica are caused, in one way or another, by some form of irritation to or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully repaired with physical therapy in the Florissant area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even heal 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, patients with conditions such as sciatica pain 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 Florissant, MO area physical therapists have the clinical success and up-to-date evidence-based knowledge you need and deserve from your sciatica treatment professional.

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 Florissant, 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. As we age, 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. 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. 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 sedentary lifestyle or tobacco use can cause weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

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

There are a number of approaches that are commonly used for sciatica patients. These treatments, ranging 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 is contrary to outdated recommendations to confine sicatica patients to bed rest, which is no longer an accepted treatment fo sciatica as it does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Ultimately, you must turn to a licensed medical professional before making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Florissant, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy are committed to to guiding individuals of all types in the Florissant, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that means studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key information. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in Florissant, MO will complete a free screening before treating you so that we can best grasp the big picture of your physical condition and develop an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in treating Florissant, MO area sciatica patients, our seasoned Florissant area providers will deliver 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.

• Back Pain Treatment
• 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

Types of Treatments for Sciatica in Florissant, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals who are specialists in spinal care recommend some of the following as treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care doctor, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Florissant, MO, and any other necessary medical professionals will collectively to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement about which drugs are recommended for treating sciatica, but as with any medications for any condition, every medication comes with the risk of side effects, which can be severe. Largely used in mitigating 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 should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Your physical therapist will use a variety of treatment modalities that address the body as a whole and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Florissant, MO area can help you obtain pain relief, improve your mobility, become physically healthier, halt or prevent permanent damage and disability, and prevent future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Florissant, 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 try administering an injection or series of injections to the affected area. If you are considering injections for your sciatica, your options include 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 Florissant, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily supress nerve inflammation to provide pain relief and potentially preserve mobility. The effects can wear off in weeks or months.
• Surgery. Because of how invasive and high risk it often is, surgery is usually not considered unless you have severe symptoms or your condition has not successfully healed with more conservative approaches. There are different operations that can be used to address sciatic, such as 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. For best chances of success, any procedures should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider surgery for your sciatica if:
  • you experience incontinence
  • imaging shows that 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 Florissant, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

One of the best things you can do for your sciatica is to move. Staying active, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Florissant, MO area.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Florissant, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near Florissant, 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 Florissant, 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 movement health care team at Axes Physical Therapy to identify the sciatica treatment modalities best for you and act as an integral player in your larger 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 Florissant, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Florissant, MO Now

When the agonizing pain and infuriating limitations of sciatica prevent you from the life you want and the activities you enjoy, seek quality care for your sciatica right away. Timely and thoughtful physical therapy for your sciatica in the Florissant, MO area can free you from the pain and restore the mobility you require to go about your life.

Access convenient, effective sciatica treatment from Axes Physical Therapy near Florissant, 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.