Spine Specialist Near Me in New Haven, MO

Spine specialist near me in New Haven, MO. Lower back issues can make normal activities like laying down difficult, and disturb how our bodies function. For people who play sports, back issues can keep you from being at the top of their game. For breadwinners, it can hinder your ability to provide for your New Haven, MO loved ones. For others, it can keep us from going on bike ride or playing with our grandkids like we love doing. 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 finally move on from the issues holding you back, request an evaluation with an Axes New Haven, MO spine specialist, or reach out to the Axes location most convenient for you.

According 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, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in New Haven, MO is right for you. In the meantime, come see us for one of Axes’ complimentary injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It starts at the base of your skull and ends at your pelvis. The spine is made up of:

Vertebrae

The spine has 33 vertebrae, 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. 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 cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions provide mobility; the others are immobile.

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. Between the joints and bones are cartilage and synovial fluid, allowing the bones to move without grinding against each other.

Intervertebral Discs

Discs are the flat, round cushions between the vertebrae that act as shock absorbers. 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 an outer ring of tough fibers known as the annulus fibrosus that prevent the nucleus pulposus from leaking out.

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 continue into your lower body. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebrae and other tissue. The neural foramen are openings in the vertebrae that allow the nerves to go into other parts of the body. The spinal cord carries messages between our brain and other parts of our body.

Soft Tissue

Surrounding and within the spine are also muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Ligaments attach vertebrae and holds them in the correct structure. Tendons attach muscles to the vertebrae, and the muscles are what powers the spine’s movement.

A healthy spine needs all of these different structures to to work together to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. Numerous different 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 New Haven, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Injuries Can a Spine Specialist in New Haven, 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 daily basis or recently sustained a sports injury, Axes’ New Haven, MO spine specialists can help you live your best life. Some of the common conditions we help with in New Haven, MO are:

• 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 cause severe pain along your neck and back and limit strength. 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 lower spine. It can lead to 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, issues with walking or other movements, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis describes several different types of joint disease. It occurs as the cushioning between the joints wears down over time or from repeated trauma. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. There are over 100 types of arthritis, 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. Common causes are 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 New Haven, MO spine specialists will form a team with you and your doctor to come up with 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 arthritis, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy is an effective part of a comprehensive wellness routine that reduces pain and other symptoms and achieves optimal mobility.

If what’s ailing you requires surgery, we can work with you in your pre- and post-surgical rehab in New Haven, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in New Haven, 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 New Haven, 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 find the root cause of your back problems, and create a treatment plan based on your current and previous medical conditions, how old you are, and your desired activity level. Through numerous different exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can limit symptoms, help your spine and nervous system function better, boost flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Conditions

Depending on what is causing your back pain or other symptoms, your New Haven, 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 New Haven, MO manual therapists are experts at using light pressures and stretches to decrease back pain caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. Hand-on services 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 crucial for getting your body stronger and more flexible. Beyond decreasing 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 — It’s beyond frustrating to believe you’ve overcome an injury, only to suffer another injury in the future. We help you understand 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 New Haven, MO will be holistic and focused on getting you to optimal function and keeping you there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will be based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other conditions we help treat in New Haven, 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 New Haven, MO

Don’t allow a spine condition keep you from the activities you love. At Axes, our New Haven, MO spine specialists strive for positive patient outcomes. Your pain may not have been your choice, but you do not have to decide to live with it. For a professional and knowledgeable New Haven, MO spine specialist to treat you, schedule an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or find the location nearest you