Sciatica in New Haven, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to find words powerful enough to convey 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 multiple New Haven, MO area physical therapy treatment clinics. These provider-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you thoughtful, personalized, strategic care for your sciatica or other conditions near New Haven, MO. Talk to a physical therapist in the New Haven area about your sciatica today or request an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica describes the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots located in the low end of the spine to the pelvis, where it then branches out 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 follows this precise nerve path.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica describes conditions related to the sciatic nerve that arise when an underlying medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica patients’ symptoms range wildly, but often consist of pain sensations, weakness, numbness, or tingling that can extend from the buttock all the way down the leg. Unlike low back pain, you may find that your sciatica symptoms exist down into the buttock, 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. Symptoms that accompany sciatica include pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker 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. Typically, a patient with sciatica will experience symptoms only on one side — either the left or right hip and leg. There are, however, exceptions, and some sciatica patients are affected down both nerve paths. This simply depends on the position of the compression or pinching of the nerve.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in New Haven, 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, get in touch with a medical professional with spine health expertise immediately. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near New Haven, MO will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and design a plan to return you to the life you want to live.

Causes of Sciatica

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by the irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully resolved with physical therapy in the New Haven area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, 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, people with sciatica do not know what caused their pain to begin with. 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 New Haven, 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

Are You at a Higher Risk of Developing Sciatica in New Haven, MO?

You may be at a higher risk of developing sciatica and other physical and neurological conditions based on your background and activities. You are more likely to suffer from sciatica based on the following risk factors:

• Age. As we age, our bodies undergo natural wear and tear and the bone and soft tissue in joints including the spine can wear away and increase your risk of sciatica.
• 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. 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 activities like a sedentary lifestyle or use of nicotine can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatments in New Haven, MO Are Right for Me?

There are a number of approaches that are commonly used for sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, 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 can all agree that physical activity is an essential part 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 consult with a licensed medical professional before taking any actions related to your medical care. Our New Haven, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy are committed to to guiding individuals of all types in the New Haven, MO area to optimal movement health. For you, that means studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key details. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in New Haven, MO will complete a complimentary 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 treating New Haven, MO area sciatica patients, our seasoned New Haven 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

• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
• Sprain and Strain Treatment
• Geriatric Physical Therapy
• Injury Rehabilitation
• Pain Management Services
• TMJ Treatment
• Herniated Disc Treatment
• Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment

Popular Treatments for Sciatica in New Haven, MO

Healthcare professionals and especially those who are specialists in spinal care recommend some of the following as treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your physician, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in New Haven, MO, and all other members of your treatment team will collaborate to lay forth and carry out the most promising sciatica treatment plan for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement about which drugs are recommended for patients with sciatica, but as with any medications for any condition, pharmaceuticals come with risk. Largely used in managing 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 is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapy will involve a number of treatment modalities that target comprehensive movement health and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified New Haven, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to enjoy freedom from pain, improve your movement ability, become physically healthier, halt or prevent permanent disability and nerve damage, and reduce the risk of future injuries or sciatica flair-ups. Your New Haven, 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 relieve pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your doctor 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 are used to inject 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 surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in New Haven, 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. 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 responded well to more conservative approaches. There are different surgical procedures 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. For best chances of success, surgery should be proceeded and followed by pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider surgery for your sciatica 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 significant neurological dysfunction
  • you have not experienced or are no longer experiencing permanent relief or healing with other treatments

Benefits of New Haven, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

The medical community agrees that physical movement is one of the best things for someone with sciatica to do. Keeping an active lifestyle, stretching, and practicing exercises that target the source of your sciatica are proven, necessary in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the New Haven, MO area.

The physical therapy we offer to sciatica patients in the New Haven, MO area reflects the importance of movement. Your Axes physical therapist near New Haven, 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.

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 New Haven, MO physical therapist will design a plan incorporating 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 identify the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most. Your New Haven, MO physical therapist will act as an integral player in 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 medical provider in New Haven, MO now to discuss your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in New Haven, MO Now

When the harrowing pain and alarming limitations of sciatica prevent you from doing the activities that are important to you, find a trustworthy sciatica treatment provider right away. Receiving prompt and thoughtful physical therapy for your sciatica in the New Haven, MO area can free you from the pain and return you to optimal mobility.

Axes Physical Therapy offers accessible, convenient, and proven sciatica treatment near New Haven, MO. Our fifteen Missouri physical therapy locations make it easy for you to get quality care. Find the location nearest you or request an appointment online right now.