Spine Specialist Near Me in Chain of Rocks, MO

Spine specialist near me in Chain of Rocks, MO. Spine injuries can make normal activities like sitting up difficult, and keep us from our best possible movement health. For people who play sports, back problems can prevent you from being at the top of their game. For breadwinners, it can prevent you from providing for your Chain of Rocks, MO family. For others, it can keep us from taking the dog for a walk or playing with our children as we’d like to. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help return to what you love doing most. Through safe and proven exercises and treatment plans, Axes Physical Therapy can help you live your best life. If you’re prepared to at long last move on from a crippling back condition, request an evaluation with an Axes Chain of Rocks, MO spine specialist, or call the Axes location nearest you.

Missouri Revised Statute §334.506 requires a prescription for physical therapy. If you’re recovering from a back or neck injury, or are find that back pain is disrupting your daily life, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Chain of Rocks, MO is what you need. In the meantime, visit one of our offices for one of our complimentary injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine is our central support structure, and allows our brain and body to coordinate with each other. It begins at the base of your skull and ends at your pelvis. The spine is made up of:

Vertebrae

The spine has 33 vertebrae, which are small bones that stack on top of each other to form the spinal canal. Every vertebra has a hole in the center to safeguard the spinal cord and its nerves. The vertebrae are grouped into five regions. 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 first 3 regions allow us to move; the others are fused into place.

Facet Joints

Each vertebra is connected to two facet joints which connect the bones to each other. 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 flat, round cushions between the vertebrae that act as shock absorbers. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a “gel-like” center called the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and a tough, circular exterior called the annulus fibrosus that surrounds and protects the nucleus pulposus.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular collection of nerves, from your brain to your tailbone, where the nerves continue into your lower extremities. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column. The nerves branch out to other parts of the body through holes in the vertebrae known as the neural foramen. The spinal cord carries messages between our brain and other parts of our body.

Soft Tissue

Surrounding and within the spine are also muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Ligaments connect vertebrae, hold them in place, and give them structure. Tendons attach muscles to the vertebrae, and the muscles are what powers the spine’s movement.

A healthy spine needs all of these systems to function properly and in unison to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. A variety of factors can make the spine damaged or unhealthy, which can keep you from the things you love doing. If you’re dealing with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Chain of Rocks, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to the lifestyle you desire.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Chain of Rocks, MO Help With?

The American College of Physicians developed guidelines that include certain physical therapy treatments for lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently sustained a work injury, Axes’ Chain of Rocks, MO spine specialists can help you live your best life. Some of the common conditions we help with in Chain of Rocks, MO are:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either an injury or general degradation from aging. They put pressure on a nerve which can be painful and limit function. Degenerative disc disease occurs as the cushioning in your spine wears away, and greatly decreases flexibility.
• Sciatica — Sciatica refers to a variety of conditions which irritate the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body and originates near your tailbone. It can cause to debilitating pain, weakness, and tingling down one side of your body.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the space inside your backbone is too small. It can cause pain, balance issues, and loss of sensation in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis describes several different types of joint disease. It onsets as the cartilage between the joints wears down over time or from repeated injuries. Obesity, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions can also lead to arthritis. The term “arthritis” describes over a hundred conditions, most of which can affect the facet joints of the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also known as nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain isn’t brought on by a clear, diagnosable cause. Common causes are obesity or poor posture.

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

Whatever condition is currently ailing you, our Chain of Rocks, MO spine specialists will work with you and your doctor to develop an evidence-backed treatment plan to get you back to the things you love doing most and a more comfortable life. While some conditions, like stenosis, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan 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 Chain of Rocks, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For You in Chain of Rocks, MO

More and more people are turning to physical therapy as a non-invasive treatment plan for a variety of issues affecting our musculoskeletal system. According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, physical therapy is just as effective as surgery for certain types of back pain, without the same recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Chain of Rocks, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to limit long-term opioid dependence.

A spine specialist like those at Axes Physical Therapy will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and design a treatment plan based on your current and previous medical conditions, your age, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through a variety of exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can reduce pain, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, increase flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

Depending on your specific condition, your Chain of Rocks, MO spine specialist at Axes may include some of the following in your treatment plan:

• Manual Therapy — Our Chain of Rocks, MO manual therapists are experts at using light manipulations and stretches to decrease back pain caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. Manual therapy we may include in your treatment plan include:
  • Trigger point dry needling
  • Soft tissue mobilization
  • Joint mobilization and manipulation
  • Trigger point massage
• Guided Exercise — Safe exercises are essential for getting your body stronger and more flexible. Beyond managing symptoms now, guided exercise will allow you to maintain a healthy spine when you’re on the move. Effective exercises for spine conditions include:
  • Core stabilization
  • Postural retraining
  • Flexibility
  • Cardio conditioning
  • Strength training
  • Home exercise
• Injury Prevention — It’s incredibly frustrating to believe you’re moving on from an injury, only to suffer another injury in the future. We help you understand the musculoskeletal system and how yours is being affected, so you can learn how to be active safely. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Chain of Rocks, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to your best possible movement health and helping you stay there. However we recommend treating your spine condition or back pain, it will designed based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other conditions we help treat in Chain of Rocks, MO include:

• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
• Migraine Relief
• Sprain and Strain Treatment
• Geriatric Physical Therapy
• Injury Rehabilitation
• Pain Management Services
• TMJ Treatment
• Herniated Disc Treatment

Count on Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in Chain of Rocks, MO

Don’t allow a back injury keep you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our Chain of Rocks, MO spine specialists strive for positive patient outcomes. Your pain may not have been your choice, but you do not have to choose to live with it. For a licensed and knowledgeable Chain of Rocks, MO spine specialist to help you, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or find the location most convenient for you