Sciatica in St. Louis, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle 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 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 St. Louis, MO and throughout Missouri. Our clinics specializing in movement health and locally owned and operated are dedicated to providing you with thoughtful, individualized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other conditions near St. Louis, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the St. Louis area about sciatica care for you today or schedule an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica describes the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve begins in the nerve roots located in the lower spine to the pelvis, where it then branches out to each buttock and runs 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 radiates from the path of the sciatic nerve.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosisas people commonly assume. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe a set of symptoms tied to the sciatic nerve that arise when an underlying medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica symptoms vary wildly, but generally consist of pain, 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 glute area, legs, or feet and heels.

Am I Suffering from Sciatica?

The type and severity of sciatica symptoms vary from case to case. The presentation of your sciatica 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 hallmark 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 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. Louis, 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 St. Louis, MO will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and craft a plan of action to return you to the life you want to live.

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 St. Louis area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even heal 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, people with sciatica are not aware of what caused their condition. You may have been in an accident or developed nerve irritation over time. Whatever the case may be, our St. Louis, 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

Are You at a Higher Risk of Developing Sciatica in St. Louis, 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 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. 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. 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 habits like a sedentary lifestyle or smoking can lead to inflammation and weakness.

Finding the Right St. Louis, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are numerous treatments that are often used for sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to intensive procedures, 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 an essential component of managing and treating sciatica. This directly contradicts previous advice to confine patients to bed rest, which we now know does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Remember that it is your responsibility to turn to 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. Louis, MO area have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the St. Louis, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that means studying your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near St. Louis, MO will provide a free screening before treating you so that we can truly grasp the big picture of your physical condition and formulate an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to specializing in the St. Louis, MO treatment of sciatica, our experienced St. Louis area practitioners 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 St. Louis, MO with many forms of care. Learn more below.

• 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. Louis, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals who are specialists in spinal care have found the following methods to be helpful in the treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care doctor, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in St. Louis, MO, and all other members of your treatment team will work in tandem 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 patients with sciatica, but as with any other drug, pharmaceuticals come with the risk of side effects, which can be severe. 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 sciatica care approach that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Physical therapy employs a number of treatment services that address the body as a whole and repair the root cause of your sciatica pain. With the help of a qualified St. Louis, MO physical therapist and participating in your care can allow you to achieve pain relief, improve your range of motion, become physically healthier, halt or prevent permanent damage and disability, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your St. Louis, 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. For some patients with sciatica, a medical provider might try administering one more more injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which are used to inject a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which administer the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in St. Louis, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve to provide pain relief and maintain 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, 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, 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
  • imaging shows that you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have significant neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of St. Louis, 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 performing exercises that target the source of your sciatica are essential parts of any St. Louis, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide St. Louis, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. Your Axes physical therapist near St. Louis, 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 St. Louis, 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 determine the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most and 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 specialist in St. Louis, MO now to discuss your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in St. Louis, 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. Swift and evidence-based physical therapy for your sciatica in the St. Louis, 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 St. Louis, 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.