Spine Specialist Near Me in Grantwood Village, MO

Spine specialist near me in Grantwood Village, MO. Spine injuries can make everyday activities like standing up difficult, and interrupt how our bodies function. For physically active people, back issues can prevent you from being at the top of their game. For workers, it can obstruct your ability to provide for your Grantwood Village, MO loved ones. For others, it can keep us from taking the dog for a walk 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 mobility and pain relief your body needs to be at its best, and that you need to live your best life. If you’re prepared to finally be free from the issues holding you back, request an evaluation with an Axes Grantwood Village, MO spine specialist, or call the Axes location nearest you.

Pursuant to Missouri law, 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, consult with your physician about if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Grantwood Village, MO is right for you. In the meantime, come see us for one of Axes’ complimentary injury screenings.

The Human Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It begins at the base of your skull and ends at your pelvis. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

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

Facet Joints

Facet joints connect the vertebrae. 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 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 “gel-like” middle called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb shock, and a tough, circular exterior called the annulus fibrosus that prevent the gel-like center from leaking out.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure, extending from the brain to your lumbar region, where the nerves extend into the lower part of your 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 holes in the vertebrae known as the neural foramen. The spinal cord allows our brain to tell our bodies to move, and our brains to receive sensory information from our body.

Soft Tissue

Surrounding and within the spine are also various types of soft tissue. Ligaments connect vertebrae, hold them together, and give them structure. Muscles are attached 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 factors can interfere with the spine and keep you from the activities you love most. If you’re dealing with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Grantwood Village, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to the lifestyle you desire.

What Injuries Can a Spine Specialist in Grantwood Village, MO Treat Me For?

The American College of Physicians developed guidelines that include numerous physical therapy treatments for lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently suffered a sports injury, Axes’ Grantwood Village, MO spine specialists can help you live your best life. Some of the common conditions we provide relief and improved function for in Grantwood Village, MO are:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either an injury or general degradation 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 is an umbrella term for irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is our bodies’ longest nerves and begins in the lumbar region. It can cause to crippling 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 swelling or tenderness in one or more joints. It onsets as the cushioning 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 spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also referred to 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 Grantwood Village, 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 activities you love and a pain-free life. While some conditions, like stenosis, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy is an effective part of a comprehensive treatment plan that reduces pain and other symptoms and returns optimal mobility.

If you need surgery on your spine, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in Grantwood Village, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

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

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular 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 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 Grantwood Village, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to reduce long-term opioid dependence.

A knowledgeable and experienced spine specialist will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and develop a treatment plan based on your current and previous medical conditions, how old you are, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through numerous different exercises and techniques, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by improving strength and flexibility, enhance range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

Depending on what is causing your back pain or other symptoms, your Grantwood Village, MO spine specialist at Axes may include some of the following in your treatment plan:

• Manual Therapy — Our Grantwood Village, MO manual therapists are experts at using light manipulations and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function due to spinal issues. Manual therapy we may include in your treatment plan 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 limiting symptoms now, certain exercises 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 gotten past an injury, only to aggravate it. 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 Grantwood Village, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to optimal movement health and keeping you there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will designed based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other conditions we help treat in Grantwood Village, 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 Grantwood Village, MO

Don’t let a spine condition prevent you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our Grantwood Village, 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 Grantwood Village, MO spine specialist to treat you, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or reach out to the location nearest you