Sciatica in O’Fallon, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to adequately express the ferocity of pain it causes and the degree of distress and disability the condition can wreak on your life. If you have been diagnosed with or believe you suffer from sciatica, or a condition that affects the sciatic nerve, seek the care of a medical professional right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a network of multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near O’Fallon, MO and throughout Missouri. Our clinics specializing in movement health and locally owned and operated are dedicated to providing you with thoughtful, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near O’Fallon, MO. Talk to a physical therapist in the O’Fallon area about sciatica care for you today or schedule 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 begins in the nerve roots in the lower spine to the pelvis, where it then splits off to each buttock and travels down and through the back of each leg. People frequently mistaken low back pain for sciatica, but sciatica is distinct in that the pain because the pain from sciatica runs along this precise nerve path.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. 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. Sciatica symptoms vary greatly, but often consist of 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, legs, or feet and heels.

Do I Have Sciatica? – Sciatica Symptoms

Each individual experiences sciatica symptoms differently. Your sciatica’s exact presentation depends on where the damage or pressure is along the nerve root. Sciatica typically includes symptoms like pain, numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The hallmark 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 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 is determined by the position of the compression or pinching of the nerve.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in O’Fallon, 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, get in touch with a medical professional with spine health expertise as soon as possible. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near O’Fallon, MO will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and design a care plan with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

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 resolved with physical therapy in the O’Fallon area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, and some 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.

In most cases, 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 O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, MO?

Certain activities and conditions could put you at a higher risk of developing painful, restrictive, debilitating conditions like sciatica. Risk factors associated with sciatica include:

• Age. Over the years, 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. 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. 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 choices like a “couch potato” daily routine or tobacco use can cause inflammation and weakness.

What Sciatica Treatments in O’Fallon, MO Are Right for Me?

There are numerous approaches that are often 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. The one thing that medical professionals agree on when it comes to sciatica treatment is 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 does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Remember that it is your responsibility to 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 O’Fallon, MO area have dedicated our careers providing O’Fallon, MO with access to healthcare that maximizes movement health and quality of life. For you, that includes evaluating your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key information. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in O’Fallon, MO will complete a free screening before treating you so that we can truly understand your condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in treating O’Fallon, MO area sciatica patients, our experienced O’Fallon area providers will deliver the care you need. We apply our knowledge and experience working with kinesiology and the musculoskeletal system toward providing people like you in O’Fallon, MO with many forms of care, including the following

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Treatments Options for Sciatica in O’Fallon, MO

Healthcare professionals and especially those specializing in spine health and neurology have found the following methods to be helpful in the treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your physician, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in O’Fallon, 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 conflicting information surrounding which drugs are effective for treating sciatica, but as with any medications for any condition, every medication comes with risk. 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 an impactful treatment for sciatica that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Your physical therapist will use a number of treatment services that address the body as a whole and directly heal the root cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified O’Fallon, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to enjoy pain relief, improve your ability to move, become physically healthier, halt or prevent permanent damage and disability, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your O’Fallon, 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. In some cases, your health care professional 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 the steroid and anesthetic combination 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 O’Fallon, 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 wear off in weeks or months.
• Surgery. Because of the risk involved, a surgical operation is usually reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not successfully healed with more conservative approaches. There are different surgical procedures 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, surgery should be proceeded and followed by pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for surgery for your sciatica if:
  • you lose control of your bowel and/or bladder
  • you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are putting direct pressure 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 O’Fallon, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

The primary directive for sciatica patients is to stay active. Practicing physical activity, stretching, and performing exercises that target the source of your sciatica are proven, necessary parts of any O’Fallon, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide O’Fallon, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. By working with a physical therapist near O’Fallon, MO, you can strengthen and mobilize tissues in the lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs and find true relief from 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

Your dedicated O’Fallon, 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 and work together with 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 physical therapist in O’Fallon, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in O’Fallon, MO Now

When the agonizing pain and insurmountable limitations of sciatica prevent you from the life you want and the activities you enjoy, seek quality care for your sciatica right away. Timely and personalized physical therapy for your sciatica in the O’Fallon, MO area can free you from the pain and restore the movement you depend upon to go about your life.

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