Spine Specialist Near Me in O’Fallon, MO

Spine specialist near me in O’Fallon, MO. Lower back pain can make basic activities like bending over painful, and keep us from optimal movement health. For athletes, back issues can prevent you from being at the top of their game. For workers, it can hinder your ability to put food on the table for your O’Fallon, MO family. For others, it can prevent us from going on bike ride or playing with our children like we love doing. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help you get back to what you love doing most. By creating a custom treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you achieve the strength, flexibility, and pain relief your body needs to function, and that you need to live your best life. If you’re ready to at long last move on from a crippling back condition, schedule an evaluation with an Axes O’Fallon, MO spine specialist, or call the Axes location most convenient for you.

Pursuant to Missouri law, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re dealing with a recent injury or living with chronic pain, consult with your physician about if physical therapy with a spine specialist in O’Fallon, MO can be safe and effective for you. You can also visit one of our offices for one of our free injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It extends from the base of your skull to 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 are the small joints that connect the bony tips of vertebrae on the back of the spine. 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” 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 protect the disc and connect the vertebrae.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular collection of nerves, from your brain to your tailbone, where the nerves go into the lower part of your body. The spinal cord is protected by spinal fluid and a membrane called dura mater. The neural foramen are openings in the vertebrae where 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 connect vertebrae, hold them together, and give them structure. Muscles are connected to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

Living the lifestyle we want depends on all of these parts working together and functioning properly. Numerous different factors can make the spine damaged or unhealthy, which can keep you from the things you love doing. If you’re living with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in O’Fallon, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to doing what you love most.

What Injuries Can a Spine Specialist in O’Fallon, MO Help With?

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 daily basis or recently suffered a work injury, Axes’ O’Fallon, MO spine specialists can help you live your best life. Some of the common conditions we treat in O’Fallon, MO are:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be caused by either an injury or wear and tear from aging. They can impinge 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 an umbrella term for irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is our bodies’ longest nerves and originates in the lumbar region. Symptoms include debilitating 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. Symptoms include pain, balance problems, and loss of sensation in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis describes several different types of joint disease. It occurs as the cushioning between the joints wears down over time or from over-exertion. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. The term “arthritis” describes over a hundred conditions, most of which can affect the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also known as nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain isn’t brought on by a clear, diagnosable cause. Common causes are obesity or poor posture.

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

Whatever condition is currently ailing you, our O’Fallon, MO spine specialists will work alongside you and your doctor to develop 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, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy is an effective part of a holistic wellness routine 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 O’Fallon, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For Me in O’Fallon, MO

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular non-surgical option for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. 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, and doesn’t involve the same risk of complications. Early intervention by a licensed O’Fallon, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to reduce long-term opioid dependence.

A licensed spine specialist 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, your age, and your desired activity level. Through a variety of exercises and manual manipulations, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, increase flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Problems

Depending on your specific condition, your O’Fallon, 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 O’Fallon, MO manual therapists are experts at using light pressures and stretches to decrease back pain 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. Beyond reducing symptoms now, certain exercises will allow you to maintain a well-functioning spine while going to work or doing the activities you love most. Effective exercises for spine conditions 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 help you understand your injury and how it affects your body’s function, so you’ll know how to stay healthy in the future. Injury prevention includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in O’Fallon, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to your best possible movement health and helping you stay there. However we recommend treating your spine condition or back pain, it will be based on proven techniques.

Other conditions we help treat in O’Fallon, MO include:

• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
• Migraine Relief
• Sprain and Strain Treatment
• Geriatric Physical Therapy
• Injury Rehabilitation
• Pain Management Services
• TMJ Treatment
• Herniated Disc Treatment

Count on Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in O’Fallon, MO

Don’t allow a back injury prevent you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our O’Fallon, MO spine specialists are dedicated to positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with back pain, but you do not have to choose to live with it. For a professional and knowledgeable O’Fallon, MO spine specialist to treat you, request an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy now or contact the location closest to you