Spine Specialist Near Me in Earth City, MO

Spine specialist near me in Earth City, MO. Spine injuries can make basic tasks like sitting up excruciating, and disrupt how our bodies function. For people who play sports, back problems can prevent you from being at peak performance. For breadwinners, it can prevent you from putting food on the table for your Earth City, MO family. For others, it can keep us from taking the dog for a walk or other physical activities. 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 the issues holding you back, request an appointment with an Axes Earth City, MO spine specialist, or reach out to the Axes location most convenient for you.

Pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute §334.506, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re dealing with a recent injury or find that back pain is keeping you from the activities you love, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Earth City, MO is what you need. You can also take advantage of one of our complimentary injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It begins at the base of your brain and ends at your pelvis. The spine consists of:

Vertebrae

The spine consists of 33 vertebrae, which are small bones that form the backbone. Every vertebra has a hole in the center 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 first 3 regions allow us to move; the others are immobile.

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 the bones to move safely.

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 softer center called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb impact, 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, 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 various types of soft tissue. Ligaments attach bones together and holds them in the correct 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 to work together to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. Numerous different factors can interfere with the spine and significantly limit your ability to enjoy the things you love doing. If you’re living with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Earth City, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Earth City, MO Treat Me For?

The American College of Physicians recommends a variety of 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 sustained a sports injury, Axes’ Earth City, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in Earth City, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be the result of either acute trauma or wear and tear from aging. They can impinge 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 can have symptoms similar to herniated discs.
• Sciatica — Sciatica refers to a variety of conditions which irritate the sciatic nerve, which is our bodies’ longest nerves and begins in the lumbar region. Symptoms include debilitating 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, issues with walking or other movements, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is swelling or tenderness in one or more joints. It occurs as the cartilage between the joints wears down over time or from overuse. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. The term “arthritis” describes over a hundred conditions, most of which can affect the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also called 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 soft tissue injuries such as whiplash.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Earth City, MO spine specialists will work alongside you and your doctor to come up with a treatment plan, based on proven strategies, and aimed at getting you back to the things you love doing most and a pain-free life. While some conditions, like degenerative disc disease, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan that eases symptoms and regains optimal mobility.

If what’s ailing you requires surgery, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in Earth City, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in Earth City, 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 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 recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Earth City, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to limit long-term opioid dependence.

A professional spine specialist will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and create a treatment plan based on your medical history, your age, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through numerous different 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 other symptoms, your Earth City, MO spine specialist at Axes may implement some of the following practices to help get you back to the activities you love:

• Hands-On Care — Our Earth City, MO manual therapists are able to use subtle pressures and stretches to decrease back pain 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 essential for helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. In addition to decreasing pain now, guided exercise will allow you to maintain a healthy 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 — It’s incredibly frustrating to feel like you’re moving on from 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 can learn how to be active safely. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Earth City, MO will be comprehensive and focused on getting you to optimal movement health and keeping you there. However we recommend treating your spine condition or back pain, it will be based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other conditions we help treat in Earth City, 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 Earth City, MO

Don’t let a spine condition prevent you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our Earth City, 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 experienced Earth City, MO spine specialist to treat you, schedule an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy today or find the location closest to you