Sciatica in Paulina Hills, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to adequately express the caliber of pain it causes 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 Paulina Hills, MO area physical therapy treatment clinics. These provider-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you sound, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other conditions near Paulina Hills, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the Paulina Hills area about your sciatica today or request 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 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. Sciatica can be distinguished from general low back pain or other conditions because the pain from sciatica radiates from this precise nerve path.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis, as many people believe. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe a number of symptoms related to the sciatic nerve that surface when an existing medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica patients’ symptoms vary wildly, but frequently include pain sensations, 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), people with sciatica experience symptoms down into the buttock, hamstrings, calves, or 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 is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The hallmark of sciatica is the sensation of pain that travels along 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 where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Paulina Hills, MO. Sciatica pain can range from:

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

If debilitating sciatica pain is preventing you from living your life, reach out to a medical professional with spine health expertise immediately. Axes Physical Therapy’s Paulina Hills, MO area physical and occupational therapists will guide you in your recovery and craft a plan to return you to the life you want to live.

What Causes Sciatica?

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by the irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully repaired with physical therapy in the Paulina Hills area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, and some even heal 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.

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

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 Paulina Hills, MO

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. Over the years, the tissues in our bodies degrade over time.
• Weight. The more weight on your body, the harder your back muscles have to work, and the more pressure the tissue in your spine and pelvic joints face.
• Other medical conditions. Diabetic patients are suseptable to nerve damage, and joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can result in pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Trades 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 sedentary lifestyle or use of nicotine can cause inflammation and weakness.

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

There are numerous approaches that are commonly used for sciatica patients. These treatments, ranging from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical procedures, vary in proven 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 does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Ultimately, you must turn to a licensed medical professional prior to making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Paulina Hills, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy have dedicated our careers providing Paulina Hills, MO with access to healthcare that maximizes movement health and quality of life. In your case, that means studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key details. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in Paulina Hills, MO will provide a complimentary screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can best understand your condition and develop an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in treating Paulina Hills, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Paulina Hills 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 Paulina Hills, MO with many forms of care, including the following

• 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
• Stroke Rehabilitation

Popular Treatments for Sciatica in Paulina Hills, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals who are specialists in spinal care recommend some of the following as treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care physician, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Paulina Hills, MO, and any other necessary medical professionals will collaborate to lay forth and carry out the most promising sciatica treatment plan for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information regarding which drugs are recommended for treating sciatica, but as with any medications for any condition, pharmaceuticals come with the risk of side effects, which can be severe. Largely used in reducing 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 treatment for sciatica that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Physical therapy employs a wide range of treatment modalities that address the body as a whole and directly heal the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Paulina Hills, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to enjoy freedom from pain, improve your mobility, heal stronger, halt or prevent permanent disability and nerve damage, and reduce the risk of future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Paulina Hills, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, restore balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and release pressure.
• Injections. For some patients with sciatica, a health care professional 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 affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which deliver the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Paulina Hills, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily supress nerve inflammation to provide pain relief and potentially preserve movement abilities needed for daily living. The effects can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.
• Surgery. Due to its risk and inherent invasive nature, surgical treatment 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 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 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
  • you have bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, putting direct pressure on your sciatic nerve
  • you have significant neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Paulina Hills, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

The primary directive for sciatica patients is to stay active. Keeping an active lifestyle, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Paulina Hills, MO area.

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

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

In order to restore your movement health and deliver you sustainable relief from sciatica pain, your Axes physical therapist in the Paulina Hills, MO area might include 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 determine 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 medical provider in Paulina Hills, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Paulina Hills, MO Now

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

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