Spine Specialist Near Me in Affton, MO

Spine specialist near me in Affton, MO. Spine injuries can make normal activities like standing up difficult, and keep us from optimal movement health. For athletes, back issues can keep you from being at peak performance. For workers, it can prevent you from putting food on the table for your Affton, MO family. For others, it can keep us from taking the dog for a walk or playing with our grandkids like we love doing. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help you get back to what you love doing most. By creating a custom treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you live your best life. If you’re prepared to finally be free from debilitating back pain, schedule an appointment with an Axes Affton, MO spine specialist, or call the Axes location most convenient for you.

Missouri Revised Statute §334.506 requires a prescription for physical therapy. If you’re dealing with a recent injury or find that back pain is keeping you from the activities you love, consult with your physician about if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Affton, MO can be safe and effective for you. In the meantime, visit one of our offices for one of Axes’ complimentary injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It extends from the base of your brain to your pelvis. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

The spine consists of 33 vertebrae, which are small bones that form the backbone. Every vertebra has a hole in the center to safeguard the spinal cord and its nerves. There are five vertebral groups. There are:

• 7 vertebrae in the cervical region (your neck)
• 12 vertebrae in the thoracic region (your middle back)
• 5 vertebrae in the lumbar region (your lower back)
• 5 vertebrae in the sacrum region (the triangle shaped bone that connects to the hips)
• 4 vertebrae in the coccyx region (your tailbone)

The 24 vertebrae in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions are the only ones that can move; the others are fused into place.

Facet Joints

Facet joints are the small joints that connect the bony tips of vertebrae on the back of the spine. They allow your back and neck to extend, bend, twist, and rotate. Between the joints and bones are cartilage and synovial fluid, allowing healthy bones and joints to safely glide and slide during movement.

Intervertebral Discs

Discs are the circular cushions between the vertebrae that absorb shock and prevent the vertebrae from grinding against each other. Every two vertebrae have one disc between them. Discs have a softer center known as the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb shock, and an outer ring of tough fibers called the annulus fibrosus that surrounds and protects the gel-like center.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is made up of of nerves running up the bones in your spine, extending from the brain to your lumbar region, where the nerves continue into your legs. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column. The neural foramen are openings in the vertebrae where the nerves to go into other parts of the body. The spinal cord allows our brain to tell our bodies to move, and our brains to receive sensory information from our body.

Soft Tissue

The spine also has various types of soft tissue. Ligaments connect bones together, hold them together, and give them structure. Muscles are connected to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

A healthy spine relies on all of these systems to function properly and in unison to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. Numerous different factors can make the spine damaged or unhealthy, which can keep you from the activities you love most. If you’re living with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Affton, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Affton, MO Help With?

The American College of Physicians developed guidelines that include a variety of physical therapy treatments for lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently sustained a work injury, Axes’ Affton, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we provide relief and improved function for in Affton, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either an injury or general degradation as we get older. They put pressure on a nerve which can be painful and limit function. Degenerative disc disease occurs as a natural result of aging, and greatly decreases flexibility.
• Sciatica — Sciatica is an umbrella term for irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body and begins in the lower spine. Symptoms include debilitating pain, weakness, and tingling down one side of your body.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the vertebral column is too small. Symptoms include pain, issues with walking or other movements, and numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is the inflammation of the facet joints. It occurs as the cushioning between the joints wears down over time or from repeated trauma. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. The term “arthritis” describes over a hundred conditions, most of which can affect the facet joints of the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also called nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain that doesn’t have a clear, diagnosable cause. Nonspecific back pain can be caused by obesity or poor posture.

Physical therapy can also help with muscle strains, whiplash, and other more acute injuries.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Affton, MO spine specialists will work with you and your physician to design an evidence-backed treatment plan to get you back to the activities you love and a pain-free life. While some conditions, like arthritis, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy is an effective part of a comprehensive wellness routine that reduces pain and other symptoms and regains optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we can work with you in your pre- and post-surgical rehab in Affton, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in Affton, MO

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular non-invasive treatment plan for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. According to a study published By the American College of Physicians, physical therapy is just as effective as surgery for certain types of back pain, and doesn’t involve the same risk of complications. Early intervention by a licensed Affton, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to limit the risk of long-term opioid use.

A licensed spine specialist will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and design a treatment plan based on your injures, how old you are, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through a variety of exercises and techniques, physical therapy can reduce pain, help your spine and nervous system function better, enhance range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Conditions

Depending on what is causing your back pain or spine dysfunction, your Affton, MO spine specialist at Axes may implement some of the following practices to help return you to the activities you love:

• Manual Therapy — Our Affton, MO manual therapists are experts at using subtle manipulations and stretches to decrease back pain due to spinal issues. Manual therapy we may use to treat you include:
  • Trigger point dry needling
  • Soft tissue mobilization
  • Joint mobilization and manipulation
  • Trigger point massage
• Guided Exercise — Safe exercises are essential for helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. Beyond reducing pain now, guided exercise will allow you to maintain a well-functioning spine while going to work or doing the activities you love most. Exercises we might assign include:
  • Core stabilization
  • Postural retraining
  • Flexibility
  • Cardio conditioning
  • Strength training
  • Home exercise
• Injury Prevention — There’s nothing worse than believing you’re moving on from an injury, only to aggravate it. We help you understand your injury and how it affects your body’s function, so you’ll know how to protect your spine while being active. Injury prevention includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Affton, MO will be holistic and focused on getting you to optimal function and helping you stay there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will be based on time-tested techniques.

Other conditions we help treat in Affton, MO include:

• 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
• Stroke Rehabilitation

Count on Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in Affton, MO

Don’t allow a spine condition keep you from the activities you love. At Axes, our Affton, MO spine specialists strive for positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with back pain, but you can choose to do something about it. For a licensed and knowledgeable Affton, MO spine specialist to treat you, schedule an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location most convenient for you