Sciatica in Windsor Springs, 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 the degree of distress and disability the condition can wreak on your life. 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 multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Windsor Springs, MO and throughout Missouri. Our locally-owned and operated movement wellness offices bring you thoughtful, individualized, strategic care for your sciatica or other movement complaints near Windsor Springs, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Windsor Springs area about sciatica care for you today or schedule an appointment online now.

What is Sciatica?

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots in the lower spine, then from the pelvis it reaches back to each buttock and travels 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 — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica is only a word used to describe conditions related to the sciatic nerve that surface when an underlying medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. The symptoms of sciatica range greatly, but generally include 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 buttock, hamstrings, calves, and feet.

Symptoms of Sciatica

Each individual experiences sciatica symptoms differently. 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, numbness, weakness, tingling, and pain that is aggravated by being in certain positions.

The distinguishing marker of sciatica is pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve from the low spine to the pelvis, buttocks, and legs. Most of the time, symptoms appear 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 on both sides. 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 Windsor Springs, 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, speak to a medical professional with spine health expertise right away. Axes Physical Therapy’s Windsor Springs, MO area physical and occupational therapists will lead you in your recovery and design a treatment approach with the best chance of success of restoring your mobility and freedom from pain.

What Causes Sciatica?

For most individuals, their sciatica is caused by some form of irritation to or inflammation of the sciatic nerve. These cases are nearly always successfully resolved with physical therapy in the Windsor Springs area designed to target the underlying cause of your sciatica symptoms, and some even resolve 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.

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

Most Common Sciatica Causes

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

Risk Factors for Sciatica near Windsor Springs, 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. Diabetes causes a higher rate of nerve damage in patients, and conditions like osteoarthritis can cause 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 weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

Finding the Right Windsor Springs, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are a number of treatments that are commonly used for sciatica patients. Different treatment solutions, ranging from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to surgical operations, vary in their accepted level of efficacy. Regardless of their respective disciplines, medical providers who work with sciatica can all agree 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 is not effective in addressing disabiity or pain in patients.

Ultimately, you must consult with a licensed medical professional before taking any actions related to your medical care. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy in the Windsor Springs, MO area are committed to to guiding individuals of all types in the Windsor Springs, MO area to optimal movement health. For you, that includes understanding your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy movement healthcare provider near Windsor Springs, MO will perform a complimentary screening before treating you so that we can best understand your condition and develop an individualized treatment plan for you.

In addition to a history of success in the Windsor Springs, MO treatment of sciatica, our seasoned Windsor Springs 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. 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

Treatments Options for Sciatica in Windsor Springs, 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 doctor, Windsor Springs, MO Axes physical therapist, and all other members of your treatment team will work together as a team to provide you with the sciatica care that is right for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information about which drugs are effective for patients with sciatica, but as with any other drug, pharmaceuticals come with potential risks. Drugs for sciatica are most often used to supress symptoms, including the following types of medications:
  • Anti-inflammatories
  • Muscle relaxers
  • Antidepressants
  • Corticosteroids
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Opiod pain medications
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy is a powerful sciatica care approach that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapist will use a variety of treatment modalities that target comprehensive movement health and repair the source of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Windsor Springs, MO area can help you reach freedom from pain, improve your ability to move, become physically healthier, avoid permanent damage and disability, and prevent future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Windsor Springs, 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 health care professional might recommend an injection or series of injections to the affected area. If you are considering injections for your sciatica, your options include nerve root blocks, which are used to inject a steroid and local anesthetic directly to the affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which aim the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Windsor Springs, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily supress the irritation of the 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. 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 approaches. There are a number of surgeries 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. For best chances of success, surgery should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider sciatica surgery 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
  • other treatment methods have not helped or are no longer effective

Benefits of Windsor Springs, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

The medical community agrees that physical movement is one of the best things for someone with sciatica to do. Staying active, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are essential parts of any Windsor Springs, MO sciatica treatment plan.

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

Your dedicated Windsor Springs, 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 spine and musculoskeletal expert at Axes Physical Therapy to determine the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most. Your Windsor Springs, 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 specialist in Windsor Springs, MO now to explore your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Windsor Springs, MO Now

When the agonizing pain and alarming limitations of sciatica prevent you from doing the activities that are important to you, find a trustworthy sciatica treatment provider right away. Timely and thoughtful physical therapy for your sciatica in the Windsor Springs, MO area can free you from the pain and restore the mobility you require to go about your life.

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