Spine Specialist Near Me in Park Hills, MO

Spine specialist near me in Park Hills, MO. Spine injuries can make everyday tasks like laying down excruciating, and keep us from optimal movement health. For athletes, back issues can keep you from being at peak performance. For breadwinners, it can impede your ability to put food on the table for your Park Hills, MO family. For others, it can prevent us from going on bike ride or playing with our children as we’d like to. Physical therapists with a spine specialty 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 finally move on from debilitating back pain, schedule an appointment with an Axes Park Hills, MO spine specialist, or reach out to the Axes location nearest you.

Missouri law mandates that a prescription is required for physical therapy. If you’re dealing with a recent injury or find that back pain is disrupting your daily life, consult with your physician about if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Park Hills, MO is right for you. You can also visit one of our locations for one of our no-obligation 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 pelvis. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

The spine consists of 33 vertebrae, which are small bones that form the backbone. Every vertebra has a hole in the middle to protect the spinal cord and its nerves. 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 provide mobility; the others are fused into place.

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 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 circular cushions between the vertebrae that act as shock absorbers. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a “gel-like” middle known as the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and an outer ring of tough fibers known as the annulus fibrosus that prevent the gel-like center from leaking out.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord consists of nerves running up the bones in your spine, from your brain to your tailbone, where the nerves go 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 openings in the vertebrae known as the neural foramen. The spinal cord carries messages between our brain and other parts of our body.

Soft Tissue

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

Living the lifestyle we want depends on all of these parts working together and functioning properly. A variety of conditions can make the spine damaged or unhealthy, which can significantly limit your ability to enjoy the things you love doing. When that happens, a spine specialist in Park Hills, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Park Hills, MO Help With?

The American College of Physicians recommends a variety of physical therapy treatments for people living with lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently suffered a sports injury, Axes’ Park Hills, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we help with in Park Hills, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either an injury 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 the cushioning in your spine wears away, 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 originates near your tailbone. Symptoms include debilitating pain, weakness, and numbness down one side of your body.
• 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 overuse. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. The term “arthritis” describes over a hundred conditions, most of which are possible in the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also called 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 condition is currently ailing you, our Park Hills, MO spine specialists will work with you and your doctor to come up with 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 degenerative disc disease, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy can be part of a holistic treatment plan that eases symptoms and achieves optimal mobility.

If you need surgery on your spine, we can work with you in your pre- and post-surgical rehab in Park Hills, MO to help attain the best results possible.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in Park Hills, MO

More and more people are turning to physical therapy as a non-invasive treatment plan for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. 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 recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Park Hills, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to limit 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 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, help your spine and nervous system function better, enhance range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Problems

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

• Manual Therapy — Our Park Hills, MO manual therapists are experts at using subtle pressures and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function due to spinal issues. Manual therapy we may use to help you include:
  • 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. In addition to managing pain now, certain exercises will allow you to maintain a healthy spine when you’re on the move. 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 aggravate it. We help you understand 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 Park Hills, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to optimal function and helping you stay 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 Park Hills, 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

Call Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in Park Hills, MO

Don’t let a spine condition keep you from living the life you want. At Axes, our Park Hills, MO spine specialists are dedicated to positive patient outcomes. Your pain may not have been your choice, but you can choose to do something about it. For a licensed and qualified Park Hills, MO spine specialist to help you, schedule an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy now or reach out to the location most convenient for you