Spine Specialist Near Me in Pinckney, MO

Spine specialist near me in Pinckney, MO. Spine injuries can make basic activities like sitting up difficult, and disrupt how our bodies function. For physically active people, back problems can prevent you from being at peak performance. For workers, it can prevent you from providing for your Pinckney, MO loved ones. For others, it can prevent us from taking the dog for a walk or other physical activities. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help you get back to the functional and pain-free life you’re looking for. By creating a personalized 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 be at its best, and that you need to live your best life. If you’re ready to at long last move on from the issues holding you back, schedule an evaluation with an Axes Pinckney, 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, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Pinckney, MO can be safe and effective for you. You can also take advantage of one of Axes’ complimentary injury screenings.

The Human Spine

The spine is our central support structure, and allows our brain and body to coordinate with each other. It starts at the base of your brain and ends at your pelvis. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

There are 33 vertebrae stacked along the spine, which are small bones that stack on top of each other to form the spinal canal. 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 allow us to move; the others are immobile.

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. They are lined with cartilage and lubricated with synovial fluid, allowing the bones to move safely.

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 softer center called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb impact, and an outer ring of tough fibers called the annulus fibrosus that prevent the gel-like center from leaking out.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is made up of of nerves that travel through the vertebrae, from your brain to your pelvis, where the nerves extend into the lower part of your body. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column. The neural foramen are openings in the vertebrae where the nerves to go into other parts of the body. The spinal cord allows our brain to tell our bodies to move, and our brains to receive sensory information from our body.

Soft Tissue

The spine also has various types of soft tissue. 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.

A healthy spine relies on all of these different structures 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 things you love doing. When that happens, a spine specialist in Pinckney, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in Pinckney, 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 sports injury, Axes’ Pinckney, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in Pinckney, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either an injury or wear and tear as we get older. They can impinge on a nerve which can be painful and limit function. Degenerative disc disease occurs as a natural result of aging, and greatly decreases flexibility.
• Sciatica — Sciatica refers to a variety of conditions which irritate the sciatic nerve, which is our bodies’ longest nerves and originates near your tailbone. Symptoms include debilitating pain, weakness, and numbness from your buttocks all the way down to your foot.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the space inside your backbone is too small. Symptoms include pain, problems with walking or other movements, and loss of sensation in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is swelling or tenderness in one or more joints. It onsets as the cushioning between the joints wears down over time or from repeated injuries. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. There are over 100 types of arthritis, most of which can affect the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also called 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 condition is currently ailing you, our Pinckney, MO spine specialists will form a team with you and your doctor to come up with an evidence-backed treatment plan to get you back to the activities you love and a more comfortable life. While some conditions, like stenosis, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy can be part of a holistic wellness routine that eases symptoms and returns optimal mobility.

If you need surgery on your spine, we can work with you in your pre- and post-surgical rehab in Pinckney, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in Pinckney, 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 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 Pinckney, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated 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, your age, and your desired activity level. Through a variety of exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by improving strength and flexibility, boost range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Problems

Depending on your specific condition, your Pinckney, MO spine specialist at Axes may include some of the following in your treatment plan:

• Hands-On Care — Our Pinckney, MO manual therapists are able to use subtle pressures and stretches to decrease back pain due to spinal issues. Manual therapy 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 essential for getting your body stronger and more flexible. In addition to reducing 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 — There’s nothing worse than believing you’re moving on from an injury, only to suffer another injury in the future. We’ll educate you about the musculoskeletal system and how yours is being affected, so you’ll know how to protect your spine while being active. Injury prevention includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Pinckney, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to optimal function and helping you stay there. However we recommend treating your spine condition or back pain, it will designed based on proven techniques.

Other conditions we help treat in Pinckney, 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 Pinckney, MO

Don’t let a back injury prevent you from living the life you want. At Axes, our Pinckney, MO spine specialists are dedicated to positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with back pain, but you do not have to decide to live with it. For a licensed and knowledgeable Pinckney, MO spine specialist to help you, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or reach out to the location closest to you