Spine Specialist Near Me in Ranken, MO

Spine specialist near me in Ranken, MO. Spine injuries can make everyday activities like laying down excruciating, and interrupt 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 impede your ability to provide for your Ranken, MO loved ones. For others, it can keep us from taking walks or playing with our children as we’d like to. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help return to what you love doing most. By developing a custom treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you achieve the lifestyle you desire. If you’re prepared to finally move on from debilitating back pain, request an appointment with an Axes Ranken, MO spine specialist, or get in touch with the Axes location most convenient for you.

Pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute §334.506, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re dealing with a recent injury or find that back pain is disrupting your daily life, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Ranken, MO can be safe and effective for you. You can also take advantage of one of Axes’ no-obligation injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine is our central support structure, and plays a fundamental role in most movements and how the body communicates with itself. It begins at the base of your brain and ends at your tailbone. There are several different parts of your spine:

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 groups. 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 provide mobility; the others are fused when we’re babies.

Facet Joints

Facet joints connect the vertebrae. They allow your back and neck to perform a variety of movements. 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 the stress and shock the body is put under when moving. Every two vertebrae have one disc between them. Discs have a “gel-like” center called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb impact, and a tough, circular exterior known as the annulus fibrosus that prevent the gel-like center from leaking out.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord consists of nerves that travel through the vertebrae, extending from the brain to your lumbar region, where the nerves continue into your lower extremities. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column. The neural foramen are openings in the vertebrae that allow 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

Surrounding and within the spine are also various types of soft tissue. Ligaments connect vertebrae and holds them in the correct structure. Muscles are attached to bones by tendons, and power their 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 greatly limit your ability to enjoy the things you love doing. If you’re living with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Ranken, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

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

The American College of Physicians developed guidelines that include numerous physical therapy treatments for people living with lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently suffered a work injury, Axes’ Ranken, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in Ranken, MO are:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be caused by either an injury or wear and tear from aging. They put pressure 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 greatly decreases flexibility.
• Sciatica — Sciatica is an umbrella term for irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body and originates near your tailbone. It can cause to immense pain, weakness, and numbness 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. It can cause pain, balance issues, and loss of sensation in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is swelling or tenderness in one or more joints. It occurs as the cartilage between the joints degrades over time or from over-exertion. Obesity, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions can also lead to arthritis. 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 is also an effective treatment option for muscle strains, whiplash, and other more acute injuries.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Ranken, MO spine specialists will form a team with you and your physician to develop an evidence-backed treatment plan to get 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 can be part of a holistic wellness routine that eases symptoms and returns optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in Ranken, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For Me in Ranken, MO

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular non-invasive treatment plan for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. According to a paper published By the American College of Physicians, 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 Ranken, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to limit long-term opioid dependence.

A qualified spine specialist will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and develop a treatment plan based on your current and previous medical conditions, your age, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through a variety of exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can reduce pain, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, increase flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Conditions

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

• Manual Therapy — Our Ranken, MO manual therapists are experts at using light pressures and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function 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 essential for helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. In addition to decreasing pain now, guided exercise will allow you to maintain a healthy spine when you’re on the move. Exercises we might assign include:
  • Core stabilization
  • Postural retraining
  • Flexibility
  • Cardio conditioning
  • Strength training
  • Home exercise
• Injury Prevention — It’s beyond frustrating to feel like you’ve gotten past an injury, only to suffer another injury in the future. We help you understand the musculoskeletal system and how yours is being affected, so you can learn how to be active safely. Injury prevention includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Ranken, MO will be holistic and focused on getting you to your best possible function and helping you stay there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will designed based on proven techniques.

Other services we offer in Ranken, 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

Call Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in Ranken, MO

Don’t let a spine condition keep you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our Ranken, MO spine specialists strive for 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 licensed and knowledgeable Ranken, MO spine specialist to help you, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location closest to you