Spine Specialist Near Me in St. Peters, MO

Spine specialist near me in St. Peters, MO. Lower back pain can make normal tasks like bending over painful, and keep us from our best possible movement health. For people who play sports, back injuries can prevent you from being at peak performance. For workers, it can impede your ability to provide for your St. Peters, MO family. For others, it can prevent us from taking walks or playing with our children like we love doing. Physical therapists with a spine specialty can help return to the functional and pain-free life you’re seeking. 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 prepared to finally move on 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 nearest you.

According to Missouri Revised Statute §334.506, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re recovering from a back or neck injury, or are 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 is right for you. You can also visit one of our offices for one of Axes’ free injury screenings.

The Human Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. It begins at the base of your skull 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. 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 first 3 regions allow us to move; the others are immobile.

Facet Joints

Facet joints connect the vertebrae. They allow your back and neck to perform a variety of movements. 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 act as shock absorbers. Every two vertebrae have one disc between them. Discs have a “gel-like” center known as the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and a tough, circular exterior called the annulus fibrosus that surrounds and protects the gel-like center.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is made up of of nerves that travel through the vertebrae, extending from the brain to your lumbar region, where the nerves continue into your legs. The spinal cord is protected by the vertebrae and other tissue. The nerves branch out to other parts of the body through openings in the vertebrae known as the neural foramen. The spinal cord carries messages between our brain and other parts of 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. Tendons attach muscles to the vertebrae, and the muscles are what powers the spine’s movement.

A well-functioning spine needs all of these different structures to function properly and in unison to achieve optimal movement health and a pain free life. Numerous different factors can interfere with the spine and severely limit your ability to enjoy the things you love doing. 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 Conditions Can a Spine Specialist in St. Peters, 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 everyday basis or recently suffered a work injury, Axes’ St. Peters, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in St. Peters, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be caused by either acute trauma 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 can have symptoms similar to herniated discs.
• Sciatica — Sciatica refers to a variety of conditions which irritate the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body and begins near your tailbone. It can lead to crippling pain, weakness, and numbness down one side of your body.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the spinal cavity becomes too narrow and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. It can cause pain, problems with walking or other movements, and loss of sensation in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is the inflammation of the facet joints. It occurs as the cartilage between the joints degrades over time or from repeated trauma. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. There are over 100 types of arthritis, most of which can affect the facet joints of the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also known 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 is causing your back pain or injury, our St. Peters, MO spine specialists will work with you and your physician 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 arthritis, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy can be part of a holistic wellness routine that eases symptoms and regains optimal mobility.

If you need surgery on your spine, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in St. Peters, MO to help get the best results possible.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in St. Peters, 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 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, physical therapy can get the same relief and results for some back pain as surgery, without the same risk of complications. Early intervention by a licensed St. Peters, 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 find the root cause of your back problems, and build a treatment plan based on your current and previous medical conditions, how old you are, and the lifestyle you wish to achieve or get back to. Through a variety of exercises and manual manipulations, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, increase range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

Depending on your specific condition, your St. Peters, MO spine specialist at Axes may implement some of the following practices to help get you back to the activities you love:

• Manual Therapy — Our St. Peters, MO manual therapists are experts at using subtle pressures and stretches to decrease back pain due to spinal issues. 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 getting your soft tissue, joints, and bones stronger and more flexible. Beyond managing symptoms now, guided exercise will allow you to maintain a well-functioning 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 — It’s incredibly frustrating to feel like you’re moving on from an injury, only to aggravate it. We’ll educate you about 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 St. Peters, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to your best possible function and keeping you there. However we recommend treating your spine condition or back pain, it will designed based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

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

• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
• Migraine Relief
• Sprain and Strain Treatment
• Geriatric Physical Therapy
• Injury Rehabilitation
• Pain Management Services
• TMJ Treatment
• Herniated Disc Treatment
• Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment

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

Don’t let a back injury keep 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 can choose to do something about it. For a professional and knowledgeable St. Peters, MO spine specialist to help you, request an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location most convenient for you