Spine Specialist Near Me in Ethlyn, MO

Spine specialist near me in Ethlyn, MO. Spinal conditions can make everyday activities like sitting up painful, and keep us from our best possible movement health. For physically active people, back problems can prevent you from being at the top of their game. For workers, it can hinder your ability to provide for your Ethlyn, MO family. For others, it can keep us from taking walks or other physical activities. Physical therapists who specialize in the spine can help return to what you love doing most. Through safe and proven exercises and treatment plans, Axes Physical Therapy can help you achieve the strength, flexibility, and pain relief your body needs to function, and that you need to live your best life. If you’re prepared to at long last move on from debilitating back pain, schedule an appointment with an Axes Ethlyn, MO spine specialist, or reach out to the Axes location nearest you.

Missouri law requires a prescription for 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 Ethlyn, MO can be safe and effective for you. In the meantime, come see us for one of our no-obligation 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. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

The spine consists of 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 protect 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 first 3 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 flat, round cushions between the vertebrae that absorb the stress and shock the body incurs when moving. Every two vertebrae have one disc between them. Discs have a “gel-like” middle called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb impact, and an outer ring of tough fibers known as the annulus fibrosus that prevent the gel-like center from leaking out.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is made up of of nerves that travel through the vertebrae, from your brain to your pelvis, where the nerves continue into your legs. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebrae and other tissue. 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 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.

Achieving the lifestyle we want depends on all of these parts working together and functioning properly. Numerous different factors can interfere with the spine and greatly limit your ability to enjoy the activities you love most. If you’re dealing with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Ethlyn, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to the lifestyle you desire.

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

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

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either acute trauma or general degradation 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 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 our bodies’ longest nerves and originates in the lumbar region. Symptoms include debilitating pain, weakness, and tingling from your buttocks all the way down to your foot.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the spinal cavity becomes too narrow and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. Symptoms include pain, balance issues, and loss of sensation in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is swelling or tenderness in one or more joints. It occurs as the cartilage between the joints degrades over time or from repeated trauma. 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 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 soft tissue injuries such as muscle strains.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Ethlyn, MO spine specialists will form a team with you and your physician 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 degenerative disc disease, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan that reduces pain and other symptoms and achieves optimal mobility.

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

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For Me in Ethlyn, 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 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, physical therapy can get the same relief and results for some back pain as surgery, and doesn’t involve the same risk of complications. Early intervention by a licensed Ethlyn, MO physical therapist is proven to reduce the risk of long-term opioid use.

A spine specialist like those at Axes Physical Therapy will be able to determine what is causing your pain or other issues, and build a treatment plan based on your injures, how old you are, 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, enhance range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Problems

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

• Hands-On Care — Our Ethlyn, MO manual therapists are experts at using light manipulations and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function 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 helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. In addition to reducing symptoms now, guided exercise will allow you to maintain a well-functioning spine while going to work or doing the activities you love most. 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’ll educate you about 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 Ethlyn, MO will be holistic and focused on getting you to your best possible movement health and helping you stay there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will designed based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other services we offer in Ethlyn, MO include:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in Ethlyn, MO

Don’t allow a back injury prevent you from the activities you love. At Axes, our Ethlyn, 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 Ethlyn, MO spine specialist to help you, schedule an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location nearest you