Sciatica in Park Hills, 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 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, get the care you need right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Park Hills, MO and throughout Missouri. These provider-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you sound, personalized, strategic care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near Park Hills, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Park Hills area about sciatica care for you today or book an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from 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 follows this precise nerve path.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica describes a number of symptoms tied to the sciatic nerve that arise when an existing medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. Sciatica patients’ symptoms range greatly, but generally include various forms of pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling down the buttock and leg. Unlike low back pain, people with sciatica experience symptoms down into the buttock, hamstrings, calves, and feet.

Symptoms of Sciatica

The type and severity of sciatica symptoms vary from case to case. The presentation of your sciatica depends on where the damage or pressure is along the nerve root. Sciatica typically includes symptoms like pain, numbness, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that worsens when 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. 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 Park Hills, 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, contact a medical professional with spine health expertise right away. Axes Physical Therapy’s Park Hills, MO area physical and occupational therapists will lead you in your recovery and design a care plan with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

What Causes Sciatica?

Most instances of sciatica are caused, in one way or another, by the irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve inflammation is easily repaired with physical therapy in the Park Hills area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even resolve 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.

Usually, patients with conditions such as sciatica pain do not know what caused their pain to begin with. You may have sustained trauma or developed nerve irritation over time. Whatever the case may be, our Park Hills, MO area physical therapists have the clinical success and up-to-date evidence-based knowledge you need and deserve from your sciatica treatment professional.

Common Causes of Sciatica Pain

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

Risk Factors for Sciatica near Park Hills, MO

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. As we age, 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 “couch potato” daily routine or tobacco use can cause inflammation and weakness.

What Sciatica Treatments in Park Hills, MO Are Right for Me?

There are a number of treatments that are often used for sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to intensive operations, vary in proven efficacy. The one thing that medical professionals agree on when it comes to sciatica treatment is that being physically active is a critical part of managing and treating sciatica. This directly contradicts previous advice to confine patients to bed rest, which we now know is not effective in addressing 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. Our Park Hills, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy are committed to to guiding individuals of all types in the Park Hills, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that includes studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key information. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy movement healthcare provider near Park Hills, MO will perform a free screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can best understand your condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to a history of success in treating Park Hills, MO area sciatica patients, our seasoned Park Hills 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 Park Hills, MO with many forms of care. 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 Park Hills, 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, Park Hills, MO Axes physical therapist, and any other necessary medical professionals will work together as a team to lay forth and carry out the most promising sciatica treatment plan for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement surrounding which drugs are recommended for patients with sciatica, but just like with any medications for any condition, every medication comes with potential risks. 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 a powerful sciatica care method that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Physical therapy employs a number of treatment services that target comprehensive movement health and directly heal the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Park Hills, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to achieve pain relief, improve your movement ability, become physically healthier, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Park Hills, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, bring your body into balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and relieve pressure.
• Injections. For some patients with sciatica, a health care professional might try administering 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 apply the steroid and anesthetic combination directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which administer the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. Injections for Park Hills, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily supress inflammation around the irritated nerve to provide pain relief and potentially preserve the ability to function. The effects can wear off in weeks or 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 responded well to more conservative treatment methods. There are different operations for sciatica depending on the cause of the condition, such as a microdiscectomy where the surgeon removes the 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 paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You may be a candidate for sciatica surgery if:
  • you lose control of your bowel and/or bladder
  • imaging shows that you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Park Hills, 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 performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary parts of any Park Hills, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Park Hills, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near Park Hills, 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.

Physical therapy for sciatica and other conditions is meant 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 Park Hills, 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 movement health care team at Axes Physical Therapy to identify the sciatica treatment modalities best for you. Your Park Hills, MO physical therapist will work together with your full 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 physical therapist in Park Hills, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Park Hills, MO Now

When the agonizing 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. Receiving prompt and evidence-based physical therapy for your sciatica in the Park Hills, 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 Park Hills, MO. Our fifteen Missouri physical therapy locations make it possible for you to get the care you need. Find the location nearest you or request an appointment online right now.