Spine Specialist Near Me in St. Peters, MO

Spine specialist near me in St. Peters, MO. Spine injuries can make everyday activities like laying down excruciating, and keep us from our best possible movement health. For people who play sports, back problems can keep you from being at peak performance. For breadwinners, it can obstruct your ability to put food on the table for your St. Peters, MO family. For others, it can prevent us from taking the dog for a walk or playing with our grandkids like we love doing. Physical therapists who specialize in the spine can help return to what you love doing most. By creating a custom treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you achieve the lifestyle you desire. If you’re ready to finally be free from the issues holding you back, request an appointment with an Axes St. Peters, 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 keeping you from the activities you love, consult with your physician about if physical therapy with a spine specialist in St. Peters, MO can be safe and effective for you. You can also take advantage of one of our free injury screenings.

The Human Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It extends from the base of your brain to your tailbone. There are several different parts of your spine:

Vertebrae

There are 33 vertebrae from the top to bottom of the spine, which are small bones that form the backbone. Every vertebra has a hole in the middle to safeguard the spinal cord and its nerves. There are five vertebral 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 are the only ones that can move; the others are immobile.

Facet Joints

Facet joints connect the vertebrae. 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 flat, round 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 “gel-like” middle known as the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and a tough, circular exterior known as the annulus fibrosus that protect the disc and connect the vertebrae.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular collection of nerves, from your brain to your tailbone, where the nerves extend into the lower part of your body. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebrae and other tissue. The neural foramen are openings in the vertebrae that allow the nerves to go into other parts of the body. The spinal cord is how our bodies and brains communicate.

Soft Tissue

Surrounding and within the spine are also various types of soft tissue. Ligaments attach bones together, hold them together, and give them structure. Muscles are attached to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

A well-functioning spine needs all of these different structures to to work together to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. A variety of conditions can interfere with the spine and significantly limit your ability to enjoy the activities you love most. When that happens, a spine specialist in St. Peters, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to doing what you love most.

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

The American College of Physicians recommends numerous physical therapy treatments for people living with lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re dealing with pain on a everyday basis or recently sustained a work injury, Axes’ St. Peters, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we help with in St. Peters, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be the result of either an injury or general degradation 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 a natural result of aging, and greatly decreases flexibility.
• Sciatica — Sciatica is an umbrella term for irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is our bodies’ longest nerves and originates in the lumbar region. It can lead to crippling pain, weakness, and tingling through your buttock and leg.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the vertebral column is too small. It can cause pain, balance issues, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is swelling or tenderness in one or more joints. It occurs as the cartilage between the joints wears down over time or from overuse. Obesity, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions can also lead to arthritis. The term “arthritis” describes over a hundred conditions, most of which can affect the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also known as 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 soft tissue injuries such as whiplash.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our St. Peters, MO spine specialists will form a team 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 arthritis, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy is an effective part of a comprehensive wellness routine that eases symptoms and achieves optimal mobility.

If what’s ailing you requires surgery, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in St. Peters, MO to help get the best results possible.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For You in St. Peters, MO

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular 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 risk of complications. Early intervention by a licensed St. Peters, MO physical therapist is proven to limit long-term opioid dependence.

A spine specialist like those at Axes Physical Therapy will be able to determine what is causing your pain or other issues, and develop a treatment plan based on your medical history, how old you are, and your desired activity level. Through numerous different exercises and techniques, physical therapy can reduce pain, help your spine and nervous system function better, boost flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

Depending on what is causing your back pain or spine dysfunction, your St. Peters, MO spine specialist at Axes may implement some of the following practices to help return you to the activities you love:

• Manual Therapy — Our St. Peters, MO manual therapists are experts at using light manipulations and stretches to decrease back pain caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. Hand-on services 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 helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. In addition to managing pain 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’re moving on from an injury, only to suffer another injury in the future. 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. Injury prevention includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in St. Peters, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to optimal movement health and keeping you there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will designed based on proven techniques.

Other services we offer in St. Peters, MO include:

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

Count on Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in St. Peters, MO

Don’t allow a back injury prevent you from the activities you love. At Axes, our St. Peters, MO spine specialists are dedicated to positive patient outcomes. Your pain may not have been your choice, but you do not have to decide to live with it. For a licensed and experienced St. Peters, MO spine specialist to help you, schedule an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location nearest you