Spine Specialist Near Me in Cottleville, MO

Spine specialist near me in Cottleville, MO. Spinal conditions can make everyday activities like laying down excruciating, and keep us from our best possible movement health. For people who play sports, back injuries can keep you from being at the top of their game. For workers, it can hinder your ability to put food on the table for your Cottleville, MO loved ones. For others, it can prevent us from taking walks or playing with our children as we’d like to. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help you get back to what you love doing most. By creating a personalized treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you live your best life. If you’re prepared to at long last be free from debilitating back pain, schedule an appointment with an Axes Cottleville, MO spine specialist, or get in touch with the Axes location most convenient for you.

Under Missouri law, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re dealing with a recent injury or living with chronic pain, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Cottleville, MO is what you need. In the meantime, visit one of our offices for one of Axes’ no-obligation injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine is our central support structure, and plays a fundamental role in most movements and how the body communicates with itself. It extends from the base of your brain to your pelvis. The spine consists of:

Vertebrae

There are 33 vertebrae stacked along the spine, which are small bones that stack on top of each other to form the spinal canal. Every vertebra has a hole in the middle to protect 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 cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions allow us to move; the others are fused when we’re babies.

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 perform a variety of movements. They are lined with cartilage and lubricated with synovial fluid, allowing the bones to move without grinding against each other.

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 allows for mobility and absorption, and a tough, circular exterior known as the annulus fibrosus that surrounds and protects the gel-like center.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular collection of nerves, extending from the brain to your lumbar region, where the nerves continue into your lower body. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebrae and other tissue. The nerves extend to other parts of the body through openings in the vertebrae called 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 attach bones together and holds them in the correct structure. Muscles are connected to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

Achieving the lifestyle we want depends on all of these parts working together and functioning properly. Numerous different conditions can interfere with the spine and keep you from the things you love doing. If you’re dealing with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Cottleville, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

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

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

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be the result of either an injury or wear and tear as we get older. They put pressure on a nerve which can cause severe pain along your neck and back and limit strength. 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 in the lower spine. Symptoms include immense pain, weakness, and numbness through your buttock and leg.
• 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 issues, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is the inflammation of the facet joints. It occurs as the cartilage between the joints wears down over time or from repeated injuries. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. There are over 100 types of arthritis, most of which can affect the facet joints of the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also known as nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain that doesn’t have a known, recognizable cause. Axial back pain can be caused by 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 Cottleville, MO spine specialists will work alongside you and your physician to design 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, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy can be part of a comprehensive wellness routine that eases symptoms and returns optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in Cottleville, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For Me in Cottleville, MO

More and more people are turning to physical therapy as a non-surgical option for a variety of issues affecting our musculoskeletal system. According to a study published By the American College of Physicians, physical therapy can get the same relief and results for some back pain as surgery, and doesn’t involve the same recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Cottleville, MO physical therapist is proven to limit long-term opioid dependence.

A knowledgeable and experienced spine specialist will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and build a treatment plan based on your injures, your age, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through numerous different exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can reduce pain, help your spine and nervous system function better, increase range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

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

• Hands-On Care — Our Cottleville, MO manual therapists are experts at using light manipulations and stretches to decrease back pain caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. Hand-on services we may use to treat you include:
  • 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. In addition to managing pain now, certain exercises will also help overall function and improve movement health. Effective exercises for spine conditions 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 the musculoskeletal system and how yours is being affected, 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 Cottleville, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to your best possible function and helping you stay there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will designed based on time-tested techniques.

Other conditions we help treat in Cottleville, 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 Cottleville, MO

Don’t allow a spine condition keep you from living the life you want. At Axes, our Cottleville, MO spine specialists are dedicated to positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with back pain, but you do not have to decide to live with it. For a licensed and qualified Cottleville, MO spine specialist to help you, schedule an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or contact the location most convenient for you