Sciatica in St. Ann, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to capture in words the severity of pain it causes and just how disabling it can become. 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 group of fifteen physical therapy treatment locations positioned near St. Ann, MO and throughout Missouri. Our clinics specializing in movement health and owned and operated by our treating doctors are dedicated to providing you with thoughtful, individualized, strategic care for your sciatica or other conditions near St. Ann, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the St. Ann area about your sciatica today or schedule an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is 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, then from the pelvis it splits off to each buttock and runs 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 runs along the path of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis, as many people believe. In fact, sciatica describes conditions related to the sciatic nerve that rear up when an underlying medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. Sciatica symptoms range wildly, but generally 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), people with sciatica experience symptoms down into the buttock, hamstrings, calves, or feet.

Am I Suffering from Sciatica?

Each individual experiences sciatica symptoms differently. Your sciatica’s exact presentation is dictated by the positioning of the pressure or damage to the nerve root. Symptoms that accompany sciatica include pain, loss of sensation, weakness, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker of sciatica is the sensation of 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. There are, however, exceptions, and some sciatica patients are affected on both sides. 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 St. Ann, MO sciatica sufferers. Sciatica pain can range from:

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

If debilitating sciatica pain is degrading your quality of life, speak to a medical professional specializing in spine health immediately. Axes Physical Therapy’s St. Ann, MO area physical and occupational therapists will guide you on your journey to a full recovery and craft a treatment 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 repaired with physical therapy in the St. Ann area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, and some even heal on their own 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.

Usually, patients with conditions such as sciatica pain 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 St. Ann, 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

You may be at a higher risk of developing sciatica and other physical and neurological conditions based on your background and activities. Risk factors tied to 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. Diabetic patients are suseptable to nerve damage, and conditions like osteoarthritis can result in pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
• Occupation/Daily activities. Trades 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 sedentary lifestyle or use of nicotine can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatments in St. Ann, MO Are Right for Me?

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 operations, 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 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.

Ultimately, you must seek the advice of a licensed medical professional before taking any actions related to your medical care. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in the St. Ann, MO area have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the St. Ann, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that means studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical factors. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy movement healthcare provider near St. Ann, MO will provide a free screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and develop an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in treating St. Ann, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled St. Ann area practitioners 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, 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 St. Ann, 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 physician, St. Ann, MO Axes physical therapist, and any other necessary medical professionals will collaborate to provide you with the sciatica care that is best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some disagreement regarding which drugs are recommended for treating sciatica, but as with any other drug, every medication comes 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 effecitve sciatica care approach that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Your physical therapist will use a number of treatment methods that address the body as a whole and repair the root cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the St. Ann, MO area can help you obtain freedom from pain, improve your mobility, heal stronger, halt or prevent permanent disability and nerve damage, and prevent future injuries or sciatica flair-ups. Your St. Ann, MO physical therapist will treat your sciatica pain with treatment methods that improve your posture, restore balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and release pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your medical provider might try administering one more more injections to the affected area. If you are considering injections for your sciatica, your options include 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. Injections for St. Ann, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily aleviate nerve inflammation to provide pain relief and potentially preserve movement abilities needed for daily living. Injection treatment 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 reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not successfully healed with more conservative treatment methods. There are different surgeries for sciatica depending on the cause of the condition, including 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, operations should be paired with 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
  • imaging shows that 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 St. Ann, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

One of the best things you can do for your sciatica is to move. Practicing physical activity, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are essential in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the St. Ann, MO area.

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

Your dedicated St. Ann, MO physical therapist will design a plan incorporating a number 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 St. Ann, MO physical therapist will 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 St. Ann, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in St. Ann, MO Now

When the excruciating pain and alarming 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. Swift and strategic physical therapy for your sciatica in the St. Ann, 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 St. Ann, MO. 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.