Spine Specialist Near Me in Jefferson Barracks, MO

Spine specialist near me in Jefferson Barracks, MO. Spine injuries can make normal activities like bending over painful, 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 prevent you from putting food on the table for your Jefferson Barracks, MO loved ones. For others, it can prevent us from going on bike ride or playing with our grandkids as we’d like to. 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 prepared to at long last be free from a crippling back condition, schedule an appointment with an Axes Jefferson Barracks, 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 Jefferson Barracks, MO can be safe and effective for you. You can also visit one of our locations for one of Axes’ free injury screenings.

The Human Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It starts at the base of your brain and ends at 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. 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 cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions are the only ones that can move; the others are fused when we’re babies.

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 the bones to move safely.

Intervertebral Discs

Discs are the flat, round cushions between the vertebrae that absorb the stress and shock the body is put under when moving. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a softer center known as 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 nucleus pulposus from leaking out.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is made up of of nerves that travel through the vertebrae, from your brain to your tailbone, 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 allows our brain to tell our bodies to move, and our brains to receive sensory information from our body.

Soft Tissue

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

A well-functioning spine needs all of these systems to function properly and in unison to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. Numerous different factors can interfere with the spine and greatly limit your ability to enjoy the things you love doing. If you’re living with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Jefferson Barracks, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to the lifestyle you desire.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Jefferson Barracks, MO Treat Me For?

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 everyday basis or recently sustained a sports injury, Axes’ Jefferson Barracks, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in Jefferson Barracks, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to 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 a natural result of aging, and can have symptoms similar to herniated discs.
• 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. It can cause to debilitating pain, weakness, and numbness 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, problems with walking or other movements, 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 wears down over time or from over-exertion. 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 soft tissue injuries such as muscle strains.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Jefferson Barracks, MO spine specialists will form a team 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 more comfortable life. While some conditions, like stenosis, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy can be 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 Jefferson Barracks, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For You in Jefferson Barracks, 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 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, physical therapy is just as effective as surgery for certain types of back pain, without the same risk of complications. Early intervention by a licensed Jefferson Barracks, 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 create 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 techniques, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, enhance flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

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

• Manual Therapy — Our Jefferson Barracks, MO manual therapists are able to use light manipulations and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. 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 getting your body stronger and more flexible. Beyond reducing symptoms 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 gotten past 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. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Jefferson Barracks, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to your best possible function and keeping you there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will be based on proven techniques.

Other conditions we help treat in Jefferson Barracks, 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 Jefferson Barracks, MO

Don’t allow a spine condition prevent you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our Jefferson Barracks, MO spine specialists strive for positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with this condition, but you do not have to decide to live with it. For a licensed and qualified Jefferson Barracks, MO spine specialist to help you, request an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy now or reach out to the location most convenient for you