Spine Specialist Near Me in Meacham Park, MO

Spine specialist near me in Meacham Park, MO. Spinal conditions can make normal activities like laying down difficult, and keep us from our best possible movement health. For physically active people, back issues can keep you from being at the top of their game. For breadwinners, it can hinder your ability to provide for your Meacham Park, MO family. For others, it can prevent us from going on bike ride or playing with our grandkids like we love doing. Physical therapists who specialize in the spine can help you get back to the functional and pain-free life you’re seeking. Through safe and proven exercises and treatment plans, Axes Physical Therapy can help you achieve the lifestyle you desire. If you’re ready to at long last move on from debilitating back pain, request an appointment with an Axes Meacham Park, MO spine specialist, or call the Axes location nearest you.

Missouri law mandates that a prescription is required for physical therapy. If you’re recovering from a back or neck injury, or are find that back pain is disrupting your daily life, consult with your physician about if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Meacham Park, 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 skull and ends at your tailbone. The spine is made up of:

Vertebrae

The spine consists of 33 vertebrae, which are small bones that form the backbone. The spinal cord and nerves run through holes in the middle of each vertebra. There are five vertebral 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 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. They are lined with cartilage and lubricated with 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 is put under when moving. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a “gel-like” middle called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb impact, and a tough, circular exterior called the annulus fibrosus that surrounds and protects the nucleus pulposus.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a collection of nerves running up the bones in your spine, 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 the vertebrae and other tissue. The nerves extend to other parts of the body through holes 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 connect vertebrae and holds them in the correct structure. Muscles are attached to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

A healthy spine relies on all of these systems to function properly and in unison to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. Numerous different conditions can make the spine damaged or unhealthy, which can keep you from the activities you love most. When that happens, a spine specialist in Meacham Park, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Meacham Park, 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 dealing with pain on a everyday basis or recently sustained a sports injury, Axes’ Meacham Park, MO spine specialists can help you live your best life. Some of the common conditions we provide relief and improved function for in Meacham Park, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to 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 can have symptoms similar to herniated discs.
• Sciatica — Sciatica is a general term for irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body and begins near your tailbone. Symptoms include debilitating pain, weakness, and tingling 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, problems with walking or other movements, and loss of sensation in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis describes several different types of joint disease. It onsets as the cushioning between the joints wears down over time or from repeated injuries. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. The term “arthritis” describes over a hundred conditions, most of which can affect the facet joints of the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also referred to as nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain that doesn’t have a known, recognizable cause. Nonspecific back pain can be caused by obesity or poor posture.

Physical therapy can also help with soft tissue injuries such as whiplash.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Meacham Park, MO spine specialists will work with you and your physician to design 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 stenosis, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy is an effective part of a holistic treatment plan that eases symptoms and returns optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in Meacham Park, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For Me in Meacham Park, 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 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 recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Meacham Park, MO physical therapist is proven to reduce long-term opioid dependence.

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 current and previous medical conditions, your age, 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 flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

Depending on what is causing your back pain or other symptoms, your Meacham Park, MO spine specialist at Axes may implement some of the following practices to help get you back to what you love doing most:

• Manual Therapy — Our Meacham Park, MO manual therapists are able to use subtle pressures and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. Manual therapy we may use to treat you include:
  • Dry needling
  • Soft tissue mobilization
  • Joint mobilization and manipulation
  • Trigger point massage
• Guided Exercise — Safe exercises are crucial for getting your soft tissue, joints, and bones stronger and more flexible. In addition to managing pain now, certain exercises will allow you to maintain a well-functioning spine when you’re on the move. 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 overcome 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. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Meacham Park, 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 designed based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other conditions we help treat in Meacham Park, 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 Meacham Park, MO

Don’t allow a back injury keep you from living the life you want. At Axes, our Meacham Park, 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 professional and knowledgeable Meacham Park, MO spine specialist to help you, schedule an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location most convenient for you