Sciatica in Foley, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to adequately express the caliber of pain it causes and the degree of distress and disability the condition can wreak on your life. 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 multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Foley, MO and throughout Missouri. Our locally-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you sound, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other conditions near Foley, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Foley area about sciatica care for you today or schedule an appointment online now.

What You Should Know About Sciatica

Sciatica describes the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots in the lower spine to the pelvis, where it then reaches back to each buttock and travels 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 radiates from the path of the sciatic nerve.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosis, as many people believe. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe a set of symptoms tied 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 wildly, but generally include pain sensations, weakness, numbness, or tingling that can extend from the buttock all the way down the 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), you may find that your sciatica symptoms exist down into the glute area, hamstrings, calves, and feet and heels.

Do I Have Sciatica? – Sciatica Symptoms

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. Sciatica typically includes symptoms like pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker of sciatica is pain that travels along 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 simply depends on where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Foley, MO. Sciatica pain can range 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 as soon as possible. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Foley, MO will guide you in your recovery and design a treatment plan with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

Common Causes of Sciatica

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by some form of irritation to or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully cured with physical therapy in the Foley area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even heal on their own 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.

In most cases, 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 Foley, MO area physical therapists are equipped to provide you with accessible, epirically-supported restorative care.

Common Causes of Sciatica Pain

• 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. Risk factors tied to sciatica include:

• 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. Diabetes causes a higher rate of nerve damage in patients, and joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can cause pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Jobs 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 activities like a sedentary lifestyle or tobacco use can cause weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

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

There are a number of treatments that are often used for sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical 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 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.

Ultimately, you must seek the advice of a licensed medical professional prior to making any decisions about your own medical care. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in the Foley, MO area have dedicated our careers providing Foley, MO with access to healthcare that maximizes movement health and quality of life. In your case, that means evaluating your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical information. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in Foley, MO will perform a free screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and formulate an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in treating Foley, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Foley 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, 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

Types of Treatments for Sciatica in Foley, 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, Foley, MO Axes physical therapist, and any other necessary medical professionals will work in tandem to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information 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 reducing 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 method that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapy will involve a variety of treatment methods that address the body as a whole and repair the root cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Foley, MO area can help you achieve freedom from pain, improve your range of motion, heal stronger, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Foley, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, bring your body into balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and relieve pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your medical provider might try administering one more more 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 deposit the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Foley, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily supress the irritation of the nerve to provide pain relief and maintain movement abilities needed for daily living. The 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 reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not successfully healed with more conservative treatment methods. There are a number of surgeries 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. To maximize your chances of success, surgery should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for 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 Foley, 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 practicing exercises designed to help address sciatica are highly effective and critical in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Foley, MO area.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Foley, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. By working with a physical therapist near Foley, MO, you can strengthen and mobilize tissues in the lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs and heal the source of 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 Foley, 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 determine the sciatica treatment modalities best for you. Your Foley, MO physical therapist will 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 specialist in Foley, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Foley, MO Now

When the harrowing pain and insurmountable limitations of sciatica get in the way of doing the activities that are important to you, seek quality care for your sciatica right away. Swift and effective physical therapy for your sciatica in the Foley, MO area can relieve your pain and restore the movement you depend upon to live your life.

Access convenient, effective sciatica treatment from Axes Physical Therapy near Foley, MO today. Our fifteen Missouri physical therapy locations make it possible for you to get quality care. Find the location nearest you or request an appointment online right now.