Sciatica in Winfield, MO. Anyone who has ever experienced sciatica will struggle to adequately express the ferocity of pain it causes and just how disabling it can become. If you suspect that you may have sciatica or have been diagnosed with a sciatic nerve condition, seek expert medical care right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a network of multiple physical therapy treatment locations positioned near Winfield, 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 movement complaints near Winfield, MO. Speak to a physical therapist in the Winfield area about sciatica care for you today or request an appointment online now.

Understanding Sciatica

Sciatica is the irritation of the sciatic nerve, which happens to be the largest nerve in the human body. The sciatic nerve originates from the nerve roots in the low end of the spine to the pelvis, where it then branches out 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 follows the path of the sciatic nerve.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis — contrary to popular assumption. In fact, sciatica describes conditions tied to the sciatic nerve that rear up when an existing medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. Sciatica patients’ symptoms range greatly, but commonly include pain sensations, 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), you may find that your sciatica symptoms exist down into the buttock, legs, and feet.

Do I Have Sciatica? – Sciatica Symptoms

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. Symptoms that accompany sciatica include pain, loss of sensation, loss of muscle function, tingling, and pain that worsens when in certain positions.

The hallmark of sciatica is 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 simply depends on where on the sciatic nerve the irritation or compression occurs.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Winfield, MO. Sciatica pain can range 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 specializing in spine health right away. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Winfield, MO will guide you in your recovery and design a care plan to return you to the life you want to live.

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 Winfield 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. However, for patients suffering from sciatica due to the direct compression of the sciatic nerve, more aggressive treatments like invasive surgery may be used.

A lot of times, people with sciatica 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 Winfield, 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

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 tied to sciatica include:

• Age. As we age, 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 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 choices like a sedentary lifestyle or tobacco use can lead to inflammation and weakness.

Finding the Right Winfield, MO Area Sciatica Treatment

There are a variety of approaches that are often used for sciatica patients. These treatments, which run the gamnut from conservative recommendations like cold and heat applications to intensive operations, vary in their accepted level of 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 does not improve disabiity or pain in patients.

Ultimately, you must consult with a licensed medical professional prior to making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Winfield, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy have dedicated our careers providing Winfield, MO with access to healthcare that maximizes movement health and quality of life. In your case, that means understanding your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other key details. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy movement healthcare provider near Winfield, 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 specializing in treating Winfield, MO area sciatica patients, our skilled Winfield area practitioners 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

• 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

Popular Treatments for Sciatica in Winfield, 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 physician, Axes Physical Therapy doctor in Winfield, MO, 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 effective for patients with sciatica, but just like with any medications for any condition, pharmaceuticals come 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 an impactful treatment for sciatica that should be included in most sciatica treatment plans. Physical therapy employs a number of treatment methods that address the body as a whole and directly heal the root cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Winfield, MO area can help you achieve pain relief, improve your movement ability, become physically healthier, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and prevent future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Winfield, MO physical therapist will provide care that works to improve your posture, restore balance, increase flexibility, improve strength, and relieve pressure.
• Injections. In some cases, your health care professional might recommend one more more injections to the affected area. If you are considering injections for your sciatica, your options include nerve root blocks, which are used to inject the steroid and anesthetic combination directly to the root of the irritated nerve, or epidural injections, which deposit the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space enveloping the nerve. Injections in Winfield, MO area sciatica patients are often used to temporarily supress the irritation of the nerve 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. Because of how invasive and high risk it often is, a surgical operation is usually reserved for patients with the most severe symptoms or those who have not successfully healed with more conservative treatment methods. There are a number of surgeries for sciatica depending on the cause of the condition, 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. To maximize your chances of success, surgery should be paired with pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider sciatica surgery if:
  • you have loss of bowel or bladder control
  • imaging shows that you have bone spurs, known as spinal stenosis, 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 Winfield, 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 that target the source of your sciatica are essential parts of any Winfield, MO sciatica treatment plan.

Coincidentally, these are all major elements to any physical therapy care we provide Winfield, MO area sciatica patients through the Axes Physical Therapy network of physical therapy offices. By working with a physical therapist near Winfield, MO, you can 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 Winfield, 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 movement health care team at Axes Physical Therapy to identify the sciatica treatment modalities best for you and act as an integral player in your larger 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 medical provider in Winfield, MO now to learn about your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Winfield, MO Now

When the harrowing pain and alarming limitations of sciatica get in the way of the life you want and the activities you enjoy, get quality care for your sciatica right away. Swift and strategic physical therapy for your sciatica in the Winfield, MO area can free you from the pain and return you to optimal mobility.

Access convenient, effective sciatica treatment from Axes Physical Therapy near Winfield, 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.