Sciatica in Parkdale, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to capture in words the ferocity 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 expert medical care right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of multiple Parkdale, MO area physical therapy treatment clinics. Our locally-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you thoughtful, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other conditions near Parkdale, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Parkdale area about sciatica care for you today or schedule an appointment online now.

What You Should Know About Sciatica

Sciatica describes the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the most extensive nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots in the lower 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 radiates from the path of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosisas people commonly assume. In fact, sciatica describes a number of symptoms related to the sciatic nerve that surface when an underlying medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica symptoms range greatly, but commonly include 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 glute area, hamstrings, calves, or 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, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker of sciatica is pain that travels along 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 on both sides. 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 Parkdale, MO. This nerve-related pain is described by patients as:

• Sharp
• Jolting
• Shooting
• Burning
• Electric
• Stabbing
• Tingling

If debilitating sciatica pain is preventing you from living your life, get in touch with a medical professional specializing in spine health right away. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Parkdale, MO will guide you in your recovery and design a treatment approach with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

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 Parkdale area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, and some 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.

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 Parkdale, MO area physical therapists are equipped to provide you with accessible, epirically-supported restorative care.

Common Causes of Sciatica Pain

• 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. Risk factors tied to sciatica include:

• Age. As we age, the tissues in 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. Diabetes causes a higher rate of nerve damage in patients, and joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can result in pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Occupations 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 activities like a “couch potato” daily routine or use of nicotine can cause weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatment Options Do I Have in Parkdale, MO?

There are a variety of treatments that are often used to treat sciatica patients. These treatments, ranging from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to intensive procedures, vary in their accepted level of efficacy. Regardless of their respective disciplines, medical providers who work with sciatica all recognize that being physically active is a critical 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 does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Remember that it is your responsibility to consult with a licensed medical professional prior to taking any actions related to your medical care. Our Parkdale, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy are committed to to guiding individuals of all types in the Parkdale, MO area to optimal movement health. For you, that means evaluating your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key information. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Parkdale, MO will perform a free screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can truly understand your condition and develop a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in the Parkdale, MO treatment of sciatica, our experienced Parkdale 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 Parkdale, MO with many forms of care, including the following

• Shoulder Pain Treatment
• 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

Types of Treatments for Sciatica in Parkdale, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals specializing in spine health and neurology recommend some of the following as treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care doctor, Parkdale, MO Axes physical therapist, 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 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 an effecitve treatment for sciatica that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Your physical therapist will use a variety of treatment methods that address the body as a whole and directly heal the source of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Parkdale, MO area can help you obtain pain relief, improve your range of motion, become physically healthier, halt or prevent permanent disability and nerve damage, and prevent future injuries or sciatica flair-ups. Your Parkdale, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, bring your body into balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and release pressure.
• Injections. For some patients with sciatica, a provider might try administering one more more injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which apply a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which aim the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Parkdale, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve for the purposes of pain relief and maintain movement abilities needed for daily living. Injection treatment effects can wear off in weeks or months.
• Surgery. Because of how invasive and high risk it often is, surgical treatment is usually reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not successfully healed with more conservative approaches. There are a number of operations that can be used to address sciatic, including 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, surgery should be proceeded and followed by 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
  • you have not experienced or are no longer experiencing permanent relief or healing with other treatments

Benefits of Parkdale, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

Staying active is one of the most important things for people with sciatica to do. Keeping an active lifestyle, stretching, and practicing exercises designed to help address sciatica are highly effective and critical in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Parkdale, MO area.

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

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 Parkdale, 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 best for you and act as an integral player in 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 specialist in Parkdale, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Parkdale, MO Now

When the excruciating pain and infuriating limitations of sciatica get in the way of the life you want and the activities you enjoy, find a trustworthy sciatica treatment provider right away. Receiving prompt and effective physical therapy for your sciatica in the Parkdale, MO area can free you from the pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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