Sciatica in Pevely, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to find words powerful enough to convey the ferocity 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 physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Pevely, MO and throughout Missouri. Our clinics specializing in movement health and locally owned and operated are dedicated to providing you with sound, personalized, strategic care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near Pevely, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Pevely 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 located 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. People frequently mistaken low back pain for sciatica, but sciatica is distinct in that the pain because the pain from sciatica follows the path of the sciatic nerve.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, 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 range wildly, but often consist of 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), you may find that your sciatica symptoms exist down into the glute area, hamstrings, calves, or feet.

Do I Have Sciatica? – Sciatica Symptoms

The type and severity of sciatica symptoms vary from case to case. 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 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. Most of the time, symptoms appear 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.

Pain is such a significant component of the sciatica experience for Pevely, MO sciatica sufferers. Pain from sciatica varies 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 immediately. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Pevely, MO will lead you in your recovery and craft a care plan with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

Common Causes of Sciatica

Most instances of sciatica are caused, in one way or another, by some form of irritation to or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve inflammation is easily resolved with physical therapy in the Pevely area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, and some even heal on their own as time passes and you practice safe exercise and home 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.

Often, patients with conditions such as sciatica pain 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 Pevely, 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 Reasons for Sciatica

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

Risk Factors for Sciatica near Pevely, MO

Certain activities and conditions could put you at a higher risk of developing painful, restrictive, debilitating conditions like sciatica. You are more likely to suffer from sciatica based on the following risk factors:

• Age. Over the years, 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 joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can cause 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 “couch potato” daily routine or tobacco use can cause inflammation and weakness.

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

There are numerous approaches that are commonly used for sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, ranging from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical procedures, vary in proven 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 directly contradicts previous advice to confine patients to bed rest, which we now know is not effective in addressing disabiity or pain in patients.

Ultimately, you must 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 Pevely, MO area have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Pevely, MO area to optimal movement health. For you, that includes understanding your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical information. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in Pevely, MO will complete a free screening before treating you so that we can best understand your condition and formulate an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to a history of success in the Pevely, MO treatment of sciatica, our seasoned Pevely area providers 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. Learn more below.

• 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

Popular Treatments for Sciatica in Pevely, 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 physician, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Pevely, MO, and any other necessary medical professionals will work together as a team to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement surrounding which drugs are recommended for patients with sciatica, but as with any other drug, 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 an impactful treatment for sciatica that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Physical therapy employs a number of treatment methods that target comprehensive movement health and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified Pevely, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to achieve freedom from pain, improve your range of motion, become physically healthier, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Pevely, 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 release pressure.
• Injections. For some patients with sciatica, a provider might try administering an injection or series of injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which apply the steroid and anesthetic combination directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which deposit the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. Injections in Pevely, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated 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. Because of how invasive and high risk it often is, a surgical operation is usually not considered unless you have severe symptoms or your condition has not responded well to more conservative treatment methods. There are a number of surgical procedures for sciatica depending on the cause of the condition, 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. To maximize your chances of success, operations 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 bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Pevely, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

Staying active is one of the most important things for people with sciatica to do. Practicing physical activity, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary parts of any Pevely, MO sciatica treatment plan.

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

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 Pevely, 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. Your Pevely, 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 medical provider in Pevely, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Pevely, 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, seek quality care for your sciatica right away. Receiving prompt and strategic physical therapy for your sciatica in the Pevely, MO area can relieve your pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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