Sciatica in Jefferson Barracks, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to find words powerful enough to convey the intensity of pain it causes 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, get the care you need right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of fifteen Jefferson Barracks, MO area physical therapy treatment clinics. Our locally-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you thoughtful, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other conditions near Jefferson Barracks, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the Jefferson Barracks area about your sciatica today or book an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve begins in the nerve roots 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 radiates from the path of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosisas people commonly assume. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe a set of symptoms connected to the sciatic nerve that surface when an underlying medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. The symptoms of sciatica range greatly, but often 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, legs, and feet and heels.

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, loss of sensation, weakness, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The hallmark of sciatica is the sensation of 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 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 is determined by where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

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

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

If debilitating sciatica pain is degrading your quality of life, speak to a medical professional specializing in spine health immediately. Axes Physical Therapy’s Jefferson Barracks, MO area physical and occupational therapists will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and design a care plan 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 Jefferson Barracks area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, and some even resolve naturally 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 are not aware of what caused their condition. Whether you suffered an acute injury while playing sports or being active or woke up one day with sharp pains down your left leg that you can’t explain, our Jefferson Barracks, 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 Jefferson Barracks, MO

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. Over the years, 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. 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 habits like a “couch potato” daily routine or smoking can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatment Options Do I Have in Jefferson Barracks, MO?

There are a variety of treatments that are often used to treat sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical operations, vary in proven efficacy. Regardless of their respective disciplines, medical providers who work with sciatica all recognize 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 is not effective in addressing disabiity or pain in patients.

Remember that it is your responsibility to turn to a licensed medical professional before making any decisions about your own medical care. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in the Jefferson Barracks, MO area have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Jefferson Barracks, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that includes studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Jefferson Barracks, MO will perform a complimentary 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 a history of success in the Jefferson Barracks, MO treatment of sciatica, our experienced Jefferson Barracks 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, 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

Types of Treatments for Sciatica in Jefferson Barracks, MO

Healthcare professionals and especially those specializing in spine health and neurology recommend some of the following as treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care physician, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Jefferson Barracks, MO, and all other members of your treatment team will work together as a team to provide you with the sciatica care that is right for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information regarding which drugs are recommended for patients with sciatica, but just like with any other drug, pharmaceuticals come with the risk of side effects, which can be severe. Drugs for sciatica are most often used to aleviate symptoms, including the following types of medications:
  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Muscle relaxers
  • Antidepressants
  • Corticosteroids
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Opiod pain medications
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy is a powerful sciatica care approach that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapist will use a variety of treatment services that address the body as a whole and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Jefferson Barracks, MO area can help you reach pain relief, improve your movement ability, become physically healthier, halt or prevent permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Jefferson Barracks, 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 recommend 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 apply a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which administer the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Jefferson Barracks, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily supress the irritation of the nerve to provide pain relief and potentially preserve 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, surgery 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, 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. To maximize your chances of success, any procedures should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for sciatica surgery if:
  • you experience incontinence
  • imaging shows that you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have significant neurological dysfunction
  • you have not experienced or are no longer experiencing lasting relief or healing with other treatments

Benefits of Jefferson Barracks, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

One of the best things you can do for your sciatica is to move. Keeping an active lifestyle, stretching, and performing exercises that target the source of your sciatica are highly effective and critical parts of any Jefferson Barracks, MO sciatica treatment plan.

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

Your dedicated Jefferson Barracks, MO physical therapist will design a plan incorporating 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 determine the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most. Your Jefferson Barracks, 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 physical therapist in Jefferson Barracks, MO now to discuss your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Jefferson Barracks, MO Now

When the harrowing pain and infuriating limitations of sciatica prevent you from the life you want and the activities you enjoy, find a trustworthy sciatica treatment provider right away. Swift and personalized physical therapy for your sciatica in the Jefferson Barracks, MO area can relieve your pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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