Sciatica in Marlborough, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to adequately express the ferocity 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 the care of a medical professional right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Marlborough, MO and throughout Missouri. Our clinics specializing in movement health and locally owned and operated are dedicated to providing you with sound, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near Marlborough, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the Marlborough area about your sciatica today or make an appointment online now.

What You Should Know About Sciatica

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the most extensive nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve begins in the nerve roots in the lower spine, then from the pelvis it 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 this precise nerve path.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosisas people commonly assume. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe conditions tied to the sciatic nerve that arise when an existing medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. The symptoms of sciatica range wildly, but often include various forms of pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling down the buttock and 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, hamstrings, calves, or feet and heels.

Symptoms of Sciatica

Each sciatica patient experiences symptoms differently. The presentation of your sciatica is dictated by the positioning of the pressure or damage to the nerve root. Symptoms that accompany sciatica include pain, loss of sensation, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The hallmark 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 the left or right hip and leg. However, it is possible for a patient to experience sciatic pain and symptoms down both nerve paths. 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 Marlborough, 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, contact a medical professional with spine health expertise immediately. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Marlborough, 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

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 resolved with physical therapy in the Marlborough area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even heal naturally over time with proper exercise and self-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, people with sciatica 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 Marlborough, MO area physical therapists have the clinical success and up-to-date evidence-based knowledge you need and deserve from your sciatica treatment professional.

Most Common Sciatica Causes

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

Risk Factors for Sciatica near Marlborough, MO

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 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 joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can cause pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Occupations 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 tobacco use can lead to inflammation and weakness.

Finding the Right Marlborough, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are a variety of treatments that are often used to treat sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, ranging 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 turn to 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 Marlborough, MO area have dedicated our careers providing Marlborough, MO with access to healthcare that maximizes movement health and quality of life. For you, that means evaluating your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Marlborough, MO will perform a free screening before treating you so that we can best understand your condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in the Marlborough, MO treatment of sciatica, our seasoned Marlborough area providers 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. 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 Marlborough, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals who are specialists in spinal care have found the following methods to be helpful in the treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care doctor, Marlborough, MO Axes physical therapist, and all other members of your treatment team will work together as a team to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement regarding which drugs are recommended for patients with sciatica, but as with any medications for any condition, pharmaceuticals come with potential risks. Drugs for sciatica are most often used to quell 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 method that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Your physical therapist will use a wide range 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 Marlborough, MO area can help you enjoy freedom from pain, improve your movement ability, heal stronger, halt or prevent permanent damage and disability, and reduce the risk of future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Marlborough, MO physical therapist will treat your sciatica pain with treatment methods that improve your posture, bring your body into balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and release pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your doctor might try administering an injection or series of injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which are used to inject a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which deposit the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. Injections for Marlborough, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve for the purposes of pain relief and potentially preserve the ability to function. The effects can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several 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 surgeries that can be used to address sciatic, such as 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, any procedures should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider sciatica surgery if:
  • you lose control of your bowel and/or bladder
  • you have bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, putting direct pressure on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • you have not experienced or are no longer experiencing permanent relief or healing with other treatments

Benefits of Marlborough, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

The primary directive for sciatica patients is to stay active. Staying active, stretching, and practicing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Marlborough, MO area.

The physical therapy we offer to sciatica patients in the Marlborough, MO area reflects the importance of movement. By working with a physical therapist near Marlborough, MO, you can 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 Marlborough, 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 spine and musculoskeletal expert at Axes Physical Therapy to identify the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most and 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 medical provider in Marlborough, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Marlborough, MO Now

When the agonizing pain and alarming 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 Marlborough, MO area can free you from the pain and restore the movement you require to go about your life.

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