Sciatica in Woodhine Heights, MO. If you have ever known the pain associated with sciatica, you know how difficult it is to adequately express the severity 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 expert medical care right away.

Axes Physical Therapy is a network of fifteen Woodhine Heights, MO area physical therapy treatment clinics. 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 Woodhine Heights, MO. Talk to a physical therapist in the Woodhine Heights area about your sciatica today or request an appointment online now.

Understanding 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, then from the pelvis it reaches back 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.

Sciatica itself is not a diagnosis, as many people believe. In fact, sciatica describes a number of symptoms connected to the sciatic nerve that surface when an existing medical condition results in the irritation, inflammation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve. The symptoms of sciatica vary wildly, but often consist of various forms of pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling that can extend from the buttock all the way down the leg. Unlike low back pain, you may find that your sciatica symptoms exist down into the buttock, legs, and feet and heels.

Symptoms of 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, numbness, weakness, 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 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.

With sciatica comes undeniable pain for anyone with the condition in Woodhine Heights, 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, contact a medical professional with spine health expertise immediately. The physical and occupational therapists of Axes Physical Therapy near Woodhine Heights, MO will lead you in your recovery and craft a plan of action to return you to the life you want to live.

Causes of 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 cured with physical therapy in the Woodhine Heights area targeted specifically to the source of nerve inflammation, or may even resolve naturally 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.

Often, 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 Woodhine Heights, 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 Causes of Sciatica Pain

• 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 Woodhine Heights, 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. 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 conditions 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 habits like a “couch potato” daily routine or smoking can lead to weakness and eventual irritation related to sciatica.

What Sciatica Treatment Options Do I Have in Woodhine Heights, MO?

There are numerous treatments that are commonly 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. The one thing that medical professionals agree on when it comes to sciatica treatment is 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.

Remember that it is your responsibility to seek the advice of a licensed medical professional prior to making any decisions about your own medical care. Our Woodhine Heights, MO area physical and occupational therapists with Axes Physical Therapy have dedicated our careers to guiding individuals of all types in the Woodhine Heights, MO area to optimal movement health. In your case, that means evaluating your medical history, sciatica symptoms, and other critical information. Your dedicated Axes Physical Therapy treatment provider near Woodhine Heights, MO will provide a complimentary screening prior to beginning any treatment so that we can truly understand your condition and formulate a personalized treatment plan for you.

In addition to a history of success in treating Woodhine Heights, MO area sciatica patients, our experienced Woodhine Heights 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 Woodhine Heights, MO with many forms of care, including the following

• 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 Woodhine Heights, 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 physician, Woodhine Heights, 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 best suited for you.

• Medications. There is some conflicting information regarding which drugs are recommended for treating sciatica, but as with any other drug, every medication comes with potential risks. Largely used in mitigating 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 effecitve treatment for sciatica that is recommended for most patients with sciatica. Your physical therapist will use a number of treatment methods that target comprehensive movement health and directly heal the root cause of your sciatica pain. Working with a physical therapist in the Woodhine Heights, MO area can help you achieve pain relief, improve your mobility, become physically healthier, avoid permanent disability and nerve damage, and protect against future injuries or return of your sciatica. Your Woodhine Heights, 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 recommend an injection or series of injections to the affected area. Common injection treatments for sciata are nerve root blocks, which are used to inject the steroid and anesthetic combination directly to the affected sciatic nerve root, or epidural injections, which deliver the steroid and anesthetic to the epidural space surrounding the nerve. As a sciatica sufferer in Woodhine Heights, MO, you may use injections as a way to temporarily aleviate inflammation around the irritated nerve to provide pain relief and maintain the ability to function. The effects can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months.
• Surgery. Because of the risk involved, surgery is usually not considered unless you have severe symptoms or your condition has not responded well to more conservative treatment methods. There are a number of surgical procedures that can be used to address sciatic, including 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, operations should be proceeded and followed by pre- and post-operative physical therapy care.
  You should consider surgery for your sciatica if:
  • you have loss of bowel or bladder control
  • you have spinal stenosis, where bone spurs are pressing on your sciatic nerve
  • you have severe neurological dysfunction
  • you have not experienced or are no longer experiencing lasting relief or healing with other treatments

Benefits of Woodhine Heights, MO Physical Therapy for Sciatica

Staying active is one of the most important things for people with sciatica to do. Practicing physical activity, stretching, and performing exercises designed to help address sciatica are highly effective and critical in the treatment of sciatica for anyone in the Woodhine Heights, MO area.

The physical therapy we offer to sciatica patients in the Woodhine Heights, MO area reflects the importance of movement. By working with a physical therapist near Woodhine Heights, MO, you can strengthen and mobilize tissues in the lower back, pelvis, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs and heal the source of your sciatica.

The benefits of physical therapy for someone with sciatica include the following:

• 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 Woodhine Heights, 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 movement health care team at Axes Physical Therapy to identify the sciatica treatment modalities you would benefit from most. Your Woodhine Heights, MO physical therapist will 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 specialist in Woodhine Heights, MO now to discuss your sciatica treatment options, including a quality, tailored physical therapy plan.

Get Relief for your Sciatica in Woodhine Heights, MO Now

When the excruciating pain and alarming 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 effective physical therapy for your sciatica in the Woodhine Heights, MO area can relieve your pain and return you to optimal mobility.

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