Sciatica in Labadie, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to capture in words the caliber of pain that accompanies it 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 network of multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Labadie, MO and throughout Missouri. These provider-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you sound, individualized, strategic care for your sciatica or other conditions near Labadie, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Labadie area about your sciatica today or request an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica describes the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the most extensive 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 splits off 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 this precise nerve path.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosis, as many people believe. In fact, sciatica describes conditions related to the sciatic nerve that arise when an underlying medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. The symptoms of sciatica range greatly, but frequently consist of various forms of pain, 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 buttock, legs, and feet.

Am I Suffering from Sciatica?

Each sciatica patient experiences symptoms differently. Your sciatica’s exact presentation 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 hallmark of sciatica is 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 down both nerve paths. 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 Labadie, MO sciatica sufferers. Sciatica pain can range from:

• 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 immediately. Axes Physical Therapy’s Labadie, MO area physical and occupational therapists will guide you on your journey to a full recovery and craft a care plan to return you to the life you want to live.

Common 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. Sciatic nerve inflammation is easily repaired with physical therapy in the Labadie area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even resolve naturally 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, 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 Labadie, MO area physical therapists are equipped to provide you with accessible, epirically-supported restorative care.

Common Reasons for Sciatica

• Herniated disc
• Slipped disc
• Bone spur
• Spinal stenosis
• Piriformis syndrome
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spondylolisthesis
• Pregnancy
• Vertebral fracture

Major Risk Factors for Sciatica

Certain activities and conditions could put you at a higher risk of developing painful, restrictive, debilitating conditions like sciatica. You are more likely to suffer from sciatica based on the following risk factors:

• Age. As we age, the tissues in 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 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 “couch potato” daily routine or smoking can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

Finding the Right Labadie, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are numerous treatments that are often used for sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical procedures, vary in their accepted level of efficacy. Regardless of their respective disciplines, medical providers who work with sciatica all recognize 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.

Ultimately, you must seek the advice of a licensed medical professional prior to making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Labadie, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Labadie, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that means understanding your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy movement healthcare provider near Labadie, MO will complete a complimentary screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to a history of success in treating Labadie, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Labadie 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

Treatments Options for Sciatica in Labadie, MO

Healthcare professionals and especially those who are specialists in spinal care have found the following methods to be helpful in the treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your physician, Labadie, MO Axes physical therapist, and all other members of your treatment team will work in tandem to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information regarding which drugs are recommended for treating sciatica, but just like with any medications for any condition, every medication comes with risk. Drugs for sciatica are most often used to supress 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 therapy will involve a variety of treatment services that target comprehensive movement health and directly heal the root cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Labadie, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to achieve freedom from pain, improve your range of motion, become physically healthier, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and prevent future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Labadie, MO physical therapist will treat your sciatica pain with treatment methods that improve your posture, restore balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and relieve pressure.
• Injections. For some patients with sciatica, a health care professional 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 apply 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 enveloping the nerve. Injections for Labadie, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily supress the irritation of the nerve to provide pain relief and maintain mobility. 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 responded well to more conservative treatment methods. 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, operations should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for surgery for your sciatica if:
  • you have loss of bowel or bladder control
  • imaging shows that you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are 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 Labadie, 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 essential parts of any Labadie, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Labadie, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near Labadie, 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 Labadie, 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 determine the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most 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 specialist in Labadie, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Labadie, MO Now

When the excruciating pain and infuriating limitations of sciatica prevent you from the life you want and the activities you enjoy, get quality care for your sciatica right away. Swift and personalized physical therapy for your sciatica in the Labadie, MO area can relieve your pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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