Spine Specialist Near Me in Peerless Park, MO

Spine specialist near me in Peerless Park, MO. Lower back issues can make normal tasks like laying down painful, and keep us from optimal movement health. For athletes, back problems can keep you from being at peak performance. For breadwinners, it can impede your ability to provide for your Peerless Park, MO loved ones. For others, it can prevent us from taking the dog for a walk or playing with our grandkids as we’d like to. Physical therapists who specialize in the spine can help return to what you love doing most. By creating a personalized treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you live your best life. If you’re ready to finally be free from the issues holding you back, schedule an appointment with an Axes Peerless Park, MO spine specialist, or get in touch with the Axes location most convenient for you.

Missouri Revised Statute §334.506 requires a prescription 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 Peerless Park, MO can be safe and effective for you. In the meantime, visit one of our offices for one of Axes’ free 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 brain and ends at your pelvis. The spine is made up of:

Vertebrae

There are 33 vertebrae stacked along the spine, which are small bones that form the backbone. 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 allow us to move; the others are fused into place.

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 softer 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 protect the disc and connect the vertebrae.

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 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 holes 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 attach bones together, hold them in place, and give them structure. Muscles are connected to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

A healthy spine needs 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 interfere with the spine and keep you from the things you love doing. If you’re living with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Peerless Park, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to doing what you love most.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Peerless Park, MO Treat Me For?

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

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be the result of either acute trauma or general degradation as we get older. They can impinge on a nerve which can be painful and limit mobility. Degenerative disc disease occurs as the cushioning in your spine wears away, 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. Symptoms include immense 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, issues with walking or other movements, and loss of sensation in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis describes several different types of joint disease. It onsets as the cartilage between the joints degrades over time or from repeated trauma. 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 referred to 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 is also an effective treatment option for muscle strains, whiplash, and other more acute injuries.

Whatever condition is currently ailing you, our Peerless Park, MO spine specialists will work with you and your doctor to design a treatment plan, based on proven strategies, and aimed at getting you back to the activities you love 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 reduces pain and other symptoms and achieves optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we can work with you in your pre- and post-surgical rehab in Peerless Park, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in Peerless Park, 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 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 recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Peerless Park, 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 determine what is causing your pain or other issues, and build a treatment plan based on your injures, your age, and your desired activity level. Through numerous different exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by improving strength and flexibility, enhance range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

Depending on what is causing your back pain or other symptoms, your Peerless Park, MO spine specialist at Axes may include some of the following in your treatment plan:

• Hands-On Care — Our Peerless Park, MO manual therapists are experts at using 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 helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. Beyond reducing 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’ve overcome an injury, only to aggravate it. We’ll educate you about your injury and how it affects your body’s function, so you can learn how to be active safely. Injury prevention includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Peerless Park, 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. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will designed based on time-tested techniques.

Other services we offer in Peerless 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 Peerless Park, MO

Don’t let a back injury prevent you from the activities you love. At Axes, our Peerless Park, 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 professional and qualified Peerless Park, MO spine specialist to help you, request an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy today or reach out to the location nearest you