Spine Specialist Near Me in Leadington, MO

Spine specialist near me in Leadington, MO. Lower back issues can make everyday activities like standing up excruciating, and keep us from optimal movement health. For athletes, back problems can prevent you from being at peak performance. For breadwinners, it can impede your ability to put food on the table for your Leadington, MO family. For others, it can keep us from taking walks or other physical activities. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help return to what you love doing most. By developing a custom treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you live your best life. If you’re ready to at long last move on from a crippling back condition, request an evaluation with an Axes Leadington, MO spine specialist, or call the Axes location nearest you.

Pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute §334.506, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re recovering from a back or neck injury, or are 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 Leadington, MO is right for you. In the meantime, come see us for one of Axes’ free injury screenings.

The Human Spine

The spine is our central support structure, and allows our brain and body to coordinate with each other. It extends from the base of your skull to your tailbone. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

There are 33 vertebrae from the top to bottom of 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

Each vertebra is connected to two facet joints which connect the bones to each other. 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 safely.

Intervertebral Discs

Discs are the circular cushions between the vertebrae that absorb the stress and shock the body incurs when moving. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a softer center known as the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and an outer ring of tough fibers called the annulus fibrosus that surrounds and protects the nucleus pulposus.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular collection of nerves, from your brain to your tailbone, where the nerves continue into your lower extremities. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column. 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

The spine also has muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Ligaments connect bones together, hold them together, and give them structure. Tendons attach muscles to the vertebrae, and the muscles are what powers the spine’s movement.

A well-functioning spine relies on all of these different structures to function properly and in unison to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. A variety of factors can make the spine damaged or unhealthy, which can keep you from the activities you love most. When that happens, a spine specialist in Leadington, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

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

The American College of Physicians developed guidelines that include 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 sustained a work injury, Axes’ Leadington, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in Leadington, MO are:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be caused by either acute trauma or general degradation as we get older. They put pressure on a nerve which can be painful and limit mobility. Degenerative disc disease occurs as a natural result of aging, and greatly decreases flexibility.
• Sciatica — Sciatica is a general term for irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is our bodies’ longest nerves and begins in the lumbar region. Symptoms include immense pain, weakness, and tingling through your buttock and leg.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the vertebral column is too small. It can cause pain, balance problems, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis describes several different types of joint disease. It occurs as the cartilage between the joints wears down over time or from overuse. Obesity, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions can also lead to arthritis. There are over 100 types of arthritis, most of which are possible in the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also called nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain isn’t brought on by a clear, diagnosable cause. Nonspecific back pain can be caused by obesity or poor posture.

Physical therapy can also help with muscle strains, whiplash, and other more acute injuries.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Leadington, MO spine specialists will work with you and your physician to come up with an evidence-backed treatment plan to get you back to the things you love doing most and a pain-free life. While some conditions, like degenerative disc disease, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy can be part of a holistic wellness routine that eases symptoms and returns optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in Leadington, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For You in Leadington, 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 paper 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 Leadington, 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 build a treatment plan based on your current and previous medical conditions, your age, and your desired activity level. Through a variety of exercises and techniques, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, boost range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Problems

Depending on your specific condition, your Leadington, MO spine specialist at Axes may implement some of the following practices to help return you to the activities you love:

• Hands-On Care — Our Leadington, MO manual therapists are able to use subtle manipulations and stretches to decrease back pain caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. Manual therapy we may incorporate into 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 reducing pain now, certain exercises will allow you to maintain a well-functioning 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 — There’s nothing worse than believing 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’ll know how to stay healthy in the future. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Leadington, MO will be exhaustive 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 time-tested techniques.

Other services we offer in Leadington, 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 Leadington, MO

Don’t let a back injury prevent you from living the life you want. At Axes, our Leadington, MO spine specialists are dedicated to positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with this condition, but you do not have to choose to live with it. For a professional and experienced Leadington, MO spine specialist to help you, schedule an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy today or contact the location nearest you