Sciatica in Knob Lick, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to capture in words the intensity 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 the care of a medical professional right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of fifteen physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Knob Lick, MO and throughout Missouri. Our locally-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you thoughtful, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near Knob Lick, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the Knob Lick area about sciatica care for you today or request 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 located in the low end of the spine, then from the pelvis it splits off 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 runs along this precise nerve path.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica describes a set of symptoms connected to the sciatic nerve that rear up when an underlying medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. Sciatica patients’ symptoms range wildly, but generally consist of pain sensations, weakness, numbness, or tingling down the buttock and leg. Unlike low back pain, you may find that your sciatica symptoms exist down into the buttock, hamstrings, calves, or feet and heels.

Do I Have Sciatica? – Sciatica Symptoms

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, weakness, tingling, and pain that is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker of sciatica is pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve from the low spine to the pelvis, buttocks, and legs. 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 down both nerve paths. This is determined by the position of the compression or pinching of the nerve.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Knob Lick, MO. This nerve-related pain is described by patients as:

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

If you are suffering from the debilitating pain and other limiting symptoms of sciatica, speak to a medical professional specializing in spine health immediately. Axes Physical Therapy’s Knob Lick, 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 some form of irritation to or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully cured with physical therapy in the Knob Lick area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, or may even resolve on their own 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.

A lot of times, people with sciatica 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 Knob Lick, MO area physical therapists are equipped to provide you with accessible, epirically-supported restorative care.

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. Risk factors associated with sciatica include:

• Age. Over the years, 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 conditions like osteoarthritis can cause pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Jobs that require lifting heavy loads for long periods, frequent bending and twisting, or driving (causing the up-and-down movement and vibration of the body) can cause sciatica.
• Lifestyle. Lifestyle habits like a sedentary lifestyle or smoking can cause inflammation and weakness.

What Sciatica Treatments in Knob Lick, MO Are Right for Me?

There are numerous approaches that are commonly used to treat sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, ranging 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 can all agree that physical activity is a critical component of managing and treating sciatica. This directly contradicts previous advice to confine patients to bed rest, which we now know does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Remember that it is your responsibility to consult with a licensed medical professional prior to taking any actions related to your medical care. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in the Knob Lick, MO area have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Knob Lick, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that means studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Knob Lick, MO will perform a free screening before treating you so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and develop a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in the Knob Lick, MO treatment of sciatica, our skilled Knob Lick area providers 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 Knob Lick, MO with many forms of care, including the following

• Shoulder Pain Treatment
• 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

Popular Treatments for Sciatica in Knob Lick, 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 physician, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Knob Lick, 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 about which drugs are effective for treating sciatica, but as with any medications for any condition, every medication comes with potential risks. 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 a powerful sciatica care approach that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Physical therapy employs a number of treatment methods that target comprehensive movement health and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Knob Lick, MO area can help you reach freedom from pain, improve your movement ability, heal stronger, halt or prevent permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Knob Lick, 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. For some patients with sciatica, a provider might recommend an injection or series of injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which apply a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which aim the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Knob Lick, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily aleviate nerve inflammation to provide pain relief and potentially preserve mobility. Injection treatment effects can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.
• Surgery. Due to its risk and inherent invasive nature, a surgical operation is usually not considered unless you have severe symptoms or your condition has not successfully healed with more conservative treatment methods. There are a number of surgeries that can be used to address sciatic, including a microdiscectomy to remove a herniated disc or a laminectomy where the surgeon removes part of the vertebral bones to remove direct pressure on your sicatic nerve. To optimize your ability to be successful in your surgery, operations should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider sciatica surgery if:
  • you experience incontinence
  • you have bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, putting direct pressure on your sciatic nerve
  • you have significant neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Knob Lick, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

The medical community agrees that physical movement is one of the best things for someone with sciatica to do. Staying active, stretching, and practicing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary parts of any Knob Lick, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Knob Lick, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near Knob Lick, 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 Knob Lick, 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 movement health care team at Axes Physical Therapy to identify the sciatica treatment modalities best for you. Your Knob Lick, MO physical therapist will work together with your full 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 specialist in Knob Lick, MO now to discuss your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Knob Lick, MO Now

When the excruciating pain and infuriating limitations of sciatica prevent you from doing the activities that are important to you, get quality care for your sciatica right away. Swift and effective physical therapy for your sciatica in the Knob Lick, MO area can relieve your pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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