Sciatica in Union, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to capture in words the ferocity 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, get the care you need right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a network of fifteen physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Union, MO and throughout Missouri. Our clinics specializing in movement health and locally owned and operated are dedicated to providing you with sound, personalized, intelligent care for your sciatica or other conditions near Union, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Union area about your sciatica today or schedule an appointment online now.

Understanding Sciatica

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the most extensive nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots located in the lower spine, then from the pelvis it reaches back 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 describes a number of symptoms connected to the sciatic nerve that rear up when an underlying medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica symptoms range wildly, but frequently include various forms of 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), people with sciatica experience symptoms down into the buttock, hamstrings, calves, or feet and heels.

Am I Suffering from Sciatica?

Each individual experiences sciatica symptoms differently. The presentation of your sciatica depends on where the damage or pressure is along 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 the sensation of pain that follows the path of 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 down the right buttock and leg or the left buttock 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 Union, MO. This nerve-related pain is described by patients as:

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

If debilitating sciatica pain is degrading your quality of life, get in touch with a medical professional specializing in spine health right away. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Union, MO will lead you on your journey to a full recovery and design a treatment plan to return you to the life you want to live.

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. These cases are nearly always successfully resolved with physical therapy in the Union area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, or may even resolve on their own 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.

In most cases, 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 Union, MO area physical therapists are equipped to provide you with accessible, epirically-supported restorative care.

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 Union, 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. 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 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 cause 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 “couch potato” daily routine or tobacco use can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

Finding the Right Union, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are a variety of treatments that are often used for sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical procedures, vary in their accepted level of efficacy. The one thing that medical professionals agree on when it comes to sciatica treatment is that being physically active is an essential part 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.

Ultimately, you must seek the advice of a licensed medical professional before making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Union, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy are committed to providing Union, MO with access to healthcare that maximizes movement health and quality of life. In your case, that includes understanding your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical details. Your Axes medical professional specializing in movement health in Union, MO will perform a complimentary screening before treating you so that we can truly understand your condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for your needs.

In addition to a history of success in treating Union, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Union area practitioners have what it takes to give you the care you need. We apply our knowledge and experience working with kinesiology and the musculoskeletal system toward providing people like you in Union, MO with many forms of care. Learn more below.

• 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
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Types of Treatments for Sciatica in Union, MO

The medical community and especially medical professionals specializing in spine health and neurology have found the following methods to be helpful in the treatment of sciatica for certain patients. Your primary care physician, Union, MO Axes physical therapist, and all other members of your treatment team will collectively 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 just like with any medications for any condition, every medication comes with potential risks. 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 sciatica care method that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Physical therapy employs a variety of treatment methods that target comprehensive movement health and directly heal the source of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Union, MO area can help you achieve freedom from pain, improve your range of motion, become physically healthier, avoid permanent damage and disability, and reduce the risk of future injuries or sciatica flair-ups. Your Union, 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 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 root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which deposit the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Union, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily aleviate the irritation of the nerve for the purposes of pain relief and potentially preserve the ability to function. Injection treatment effects can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.
• Surgery. Because of the risk involved, a surgical operation is usually not considered unless you have severe symptoms or your condition has not responded well to more conservative approaches. There are different surgical procedures for sciatica depending on the cause of the condition, such as a microdiscectomy to remove a 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 paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider surgery for your sciatica if:
  • you have loss of bowel or bladder control
  • imaging shows that you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are putting direct pressure on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Union, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

One of the best things you can do for your sciatica is to move. Staying active, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are highly effective and critical in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Union, MO area.

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

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

In order to restore your movement health and deliver you sustainable relief from sciatica pain, your Axes physical therapist in the Union, MO area might include 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 identify the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most and act as an integral player in your full 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 specialist in Union, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Union, MO Now

When the harrowing pain and infuriating limitations of sciatica prevent you from doing the activities that are important to you, get quality care for your sciatica right away. Receiving prompt and thoughtful physical therapy for your sciatica in the Union, 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 Union, MO. Our fifteen Missouri physical therapy locations make it easy for you to get quality care. Find the location nearest you or request an appointment online right now.