Spine Specialist Near Me in Clover Bottom, MO

Spine specialist near me in Clover Bottom, MO. Spine injuries can make everyday tasks like standing up difficult, and keep us from optimal movement health. For people who play sports, back problems can keep you from being at peak performance. For workers, it can prevent you from providing for your Clover Bottom, MO loved ones. For others, it can keep us from taking walks or other physical activities. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help you get back 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 ready to at long last move on from the issues holding you back, schedule an appointment with an Axes Clover Bottom, MO spine specialist, or get in touch with the Axes location most convenient for you.

According to Missouri Revised Statute §334.506, a doctor needs to prescribe 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 Clover Bottom, MO is right for you. In the meantime, visit one of our offices for one of Axes’ free 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 skull to your tailbone. The spine is made up of:

Vertebrae

There are 33 vertebrae from the top to bottom of the spine, which are small bones that form the backbone. The spinal cord and nerves run through holes in the middle of each vertebra. There are five vertebral 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 provide mobility; the others are immobile.

Facet Joints

Facet joints connect the vertebrae. They allow your back and neck to perform a variety of movements. They are lined with cartilage and lubricated with 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 the stress and shock the body is put under when moving. Every two vertebrae have one disc between them. Discs have a “gel-like” middle called the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and a tough, circular exterior known as the annulus fibrosus that protect the disc and connect the vertebrae.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure, from your brain to your pelvis, where the nerves continue into your lower body. The spinal cord is protected by spinal fluid and a membrane called dura mater. The nerves branch out to other parts of the body through openings in the vertebrae known as the neural foramen. The spinal cord is how our bodies and brains communicate.

Soft Tissue

Surrounding and within the spine are also muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Ligaments attach bones together and holds them in the correct structure. Muscles are connected to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

Living the lifestyle we want depends on all of these parts working together and functioning properly. A variety of conditions can interfere with the spine and severely limit your ability to enjoy the activities you love most. When that happens, a spine specialist in Clover Bottom, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Injuries Can a Spine Specialist in Clover Bottom, MO Help With?

The American College of Physicians recommends certain physical therapy treatments for people living with lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently suffered a work injury, Axes’ Clover Bottom, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in Clover Bottom, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be caused by either an injury or wear and tear as we get older. They can impinge on a nerve which can cause severe pain along your neck and back and limit strength. Degenerative disc disease occurs as a natural result of aging, and greatly decreases flexibility.
• Sciatica — Sciatica refers to a variety of conditions which irritate the sciatic nerve, which is our bodies’ longest nerves and originates in the lumbar region. Symptoms include crippling pain, weakness, and tingling down one side of your body.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the spinal cavity becomes too narrow and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. It can cause pain, balance problems, and loss of sensation in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is swelling or tenderness in one or more joints. It onsets as the cushioning between the joints wears down over time or from overuse. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. There are over 100 types of arthritis, most of which can affect the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also referred to as nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain that doesn’t have a known, recognizable cause. Common causes are obesity or poor posture.

Physical therapy is also an effective treatment option for muscle strains, whiplash, and other more acute injuries.

Whatever condition is currently ailing you, our Clover Bottom, MO spine specialists will work in tandem with you and your physician to develop a treatment plan, based on proven strategies, and aimed at getting you back to the activities you love and a pain-free life. While some conditions, like degenerative disc disease, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy is an effective part of a holistic treatment plan that reduces pain and other symptoms and regains optimal mobility.

If you need surgery on your spine, we can work with you in your pre- and post-surgical rehab in Clover Bottom, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

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

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular non-surgical option for a variety of issues affecting our musculoskeletal system. According to a paper published By the American College of Physicians, 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 Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to reduce long-term opioid dependence.

A licensed spine specialist will be able to determine what is causing your pain or other issues, and develop a treatment plan based on your injures, your age, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through a variety of exercises and techniques, physical therapy can reduce pain, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, increase range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Conditions

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

• Hands-On Care — Our Clover Bottom, MO manual therapists are able to use light manipulations and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function due to spinal issues. Hand-on services 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 crucial for helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. Beyond reducing pain now, guided exercise will also help overall function and improve movement health. 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’ve overcome an injury, only to suffer another injury in the future. We’ll educate you about your injury and how it affects your body’s function, so you can learn how to be active safely. Injury prevention includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Clover Bottom, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to optimal function and helping you stay there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will be based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other services we offer in Clover Bottom, 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

Call Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in Clover Bottom, MO

Don’t allow a back injury prevent you from living the life you want. At Axes, our Clover Bottom, MO spine specialists are dedicated to positive patient outcomes. Your pain may not have been your choice, but you do not have to choose to live with it. For a professional and experienced Clover Bottom, MO spine specialist to treat you, schedule an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy today or find the location most convenient for you