Spine Specialist Near Me in St. Genevieve, MO

Spine specialist near me in St. Genevieve, MO. Spinal conditions can make basic tasks like standing up excruciating, and interrupt how our bodies function. For people who play sports, back injuries can keep you from being at the top of their game. For breadwinners, it can prevent you from putting food on the table for your St. Genevieve, MO family. For others, it can prevent us from going on bike ride 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 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 be free from debilitating back pain, schedule an appointment with an Axes St. Genevieve, MO spine specialist, or reach out to the Axes location most convenient for you.

According to Missouri law, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re dealing with a recent injury or living with chronic pain, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in St. Genevieve, MO can be safe and effective for you. You can also take advantage of one of our free injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the 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 tailbone. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

The spine has 33 vertebrae, which are small bones that stack on top of each other to form the spinal canal. Every vertebra has a hole in the center 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 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 extend, bend, twist, and rotate. They are lined with cartilage and lubricated with synovial fluid, allowing the bones to move without grinding against each other.

Intervertebral Discs

Discs are the circular cushions between the vertebrae that absorb the stress and shock the body incurs when moving. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a “gel-like” center called the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and an outer ring of tough fibers known as the annulus fibrosus that protect the disc and connect the vertebrae.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure, from your brain to your pelvis, where the nerves continue into your legs. 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 is how our bodies and brains communicate.

Soft Tissue

The spine also has various types of soft tissue. Ligaments attach bones together and holds them in the correct structure. Muscles are connected to bones by tendons, and power their 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 interfere with the spine and 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 St. Genevieve, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to doing what you love most.

What Injuries Can a Spine Specialist in St. Genevieve, MO Treat Me For?

The American College of Physicians developed guidelines that include a variety of 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’ St. Genevieve, MO spine specialists can help you live your best life. Some of the common conditions we treat in St. Genevieve, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either acute trauma 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 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. 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 occurs as the cartilage between the joints wears down 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 are possible in the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also referred to as nonspecific back pain, this refers to pain that doesn’t have a clear, diagnosable cause. Nonspecific back pain can be caused by obesity or poor posture.

Physical therapy can also help with soft tissue injuries such as muscle strains.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our St. Genevieve, MO spine specialists will work in tandem with you and your physician to develop an evidence-backed treatment plan to get you back to the things you love doing most and a more comfortable life. While some conditions, like arthritis, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy can be part of a holistic wellness routine that reduces pain and other symptoms and regains optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in St. Genevieve, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in St. Genevieve, MO

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular non-invasive treatment plan for a variety of issues affecting our musculoskeletal system. According to a study 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 St. Genevieve, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to reduce long-term opioid dependence.

A professional spine specialist will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and design a treatment plan based on your injures, your age, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through a variety of exercises and manual manipulations, physical therapy can limit symptoms, help your spine and nervous system function better, increase range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Conditions

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

• Hands-On Care — Our St. Genevieve, MO manual therapists are experts at using light pressures and stretches to decrease back pain due to spinal issues. Manual therapy we may include in your treatment plan include:
  • Trigger point 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. Beyond decreasing symptoms now, guided exercise 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 help you understand your injury and how it affects your body’s function, so you’ll know how to stay healthy in the future. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in St. Genevieve, MO will be holistic and focused on getting you to your best possible function and keeping you there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will be based on proven techniques.

Other conditions we help treat in St. Genevieve, MO include:

• Beginner Running Program
• Chronic Pain Treatment
• MCL Injury
• Shoulder Pain
• Injury Prevention
• Mobility
• Knee Injury
• Joint Pain
• Sciatica

Call Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in St. Genevieve, MO

Don’t allow a spine condition keep you from living the life you want. At Axes, our St. Genevieve, MO spine specialists strive for positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with back pain, but you can choose to do something about it. For a licensed and knowledgeable St. Genevieve, MO spine specialist to treat you, request an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location nearest you