Sciatica in Wildwood, MO | Sciatica Treatment Near Wildwood

Sciatica in Wildwood, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to find words powerful enough to convey the caliber 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 network of fifteen Wildwood, MO area physical therapy treatment clinics. These provider-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you thoughtful, personalized, strategic care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near Wildwood, MO. Contact a physical therapist in the Wildwood area about your sciatica today or make 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 low end of the spine, then from the pelvis it reaches back to each buttock and travels down and through the back of each leg. People frequently confuse low back pain and sciatica, but sciatica is distinct in that the pain because the pain from sciatica runs along the path of the sciatic nerve.

The term sciatica is not, in itself, a diagnosisas people commonly assume. In fact, sciatica describes conditions tied to the sciatic nerve that rear up when an existing medical condition causes the sciatic nerve to be irritated, inflamed, pinched, or compressed. Sciatica symptoms range greatly, but commonly consist 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, legs, or feet and heels.

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Am I Suffering from Sciatica?

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, loss of sensation, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker 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 on both sides. This is determined by where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

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

Sharp
Jolting
Shooting
Burning
Electric
Stabbing
Tingling

If debilitating sciatica pain is degrading your quality of life, reach out to a medical professional specializing in spine health right away. Axes Physical Therapy’s Wildwood, MO area physical and occupational therapists will guide you on your journey to a full recovery and craft a care plan with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

Common Causes of Sciatica

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by the irritation or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve inflammation is easily cured with physical therapy in the Wildwood area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, or may even resolve 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.

A lot of times, 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 Wildwood, MO area physical therapists have the clinical success and up-to-date evidence-based knowledge you need and deserve from your sciatica treatment professional.

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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

Certain activities and conditions could put you at a higher risk of developing painful, restrictive, debilitating conditions like sciatica. Risk factors associated with sciatica include:

Age. Over the years, 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. Diabetes causes a higher rate of nerve damage in patients, and joint-related diagnoses like osteoarthritis can result in pain and pressure on your spine and sciatic nerve.
Occupation/Daily activities. Jobs 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 “couch potato” daily routine or tobacco use can cause inflammation and weakness.

Finding the Right Wildwood, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are numerous treatments that are often used to treat sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical operations, vary in proven efficacy. Regardless of their respective disciplines, medical providers who work with sciatica all recognize that being physically active is an essential component 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 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 Wildwood, MO area have dedicated our careers providing Wildwood, 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 information. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Wildwood, MO will complete a complimentary screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can truly understand your condition and develop an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to a history of success in treating Wildwood, MO area sciatica patients, our experienced Wildwood area providers will deliver 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

Treatments Options for Sciatica in Wildwood, MO

Healthcare professionals and especially those 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, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Wildwood, MO, and all other members of your treatment team will work in tandem 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 medications for any condition, every medication comes with risk. 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 treatment for sciatica that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapy will involve a wide range of treatment services that target comprehensive movement health and repair the underlying cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Wildwood, MO area can help you achieve pain relief, improve your ability to move, heal stronger, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or sciatica flair-ups. Your Wildwood, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, bring your body into balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and release pressure.
Injections. In some cases, your provider might recommend an injection or series of injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which apply a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which deliver the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. Injections for Wildwood, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve to provide pain relief and maintain the ability to function. The effects can wear off in weeks or months.
Surgery. Due to its risk and inherent invasive nature, a surgical operation is usually reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not successfully healed with more conservative approaches. There are a number of surgical procedures for sciatica depending on the cause of the condition, 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. To maximize your chances of success, operations should be proceeded and followed by pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
You should consider surgery for your sciatica if:
- you experience incontinence
- imaging shows that you have bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, pressing on your sciatic nerve
- you have significant neurological dysfunction
- other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

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Benefits of Wildwood, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

Staying active is one of the most important things for people with sciatica to do. Staying active, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are proven, necessary in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Wildwood, MO area.

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

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

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Wildwood, MO Now

When the excruciating pain and infuriating limitations of sciatica get in the way of doing the activities that are important to you, seek quality care for your sciatica right away. Timely and personalized physical therapy for your sciatica in the Wildwood, MO area can free you from the pain and restore the movement you depend upon to go about your life.

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