Spine Specialist Near Me in Twin Oaks, MO

Spine specialist near me in Twin Oaks, MO. Lower back issues can make basic tasks like standing up excruciating, and keep us from optimal movement health. For people who play sports, back problems can prevent you from being at the top of their game. For breadwinners, it can prevent you from putting food on the table for your Twin Oaks, MO family. For others, it can prevent us from taking the dog for a walk or other physical activities. Physical therapists who specialize in the spine can help return to the functional and pain-free life you’re seeking. Through safe and proven exercises and treatment plans, Axes Physical Therapy can help you live your best life. If you’re prepared to finally be free from the issues holding you back, schedule an evaluation with an Axes Twin Oaks, MO spine specialist, or call the Axes location most convenient for you.

Pursuant 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 living with chronic pain, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Twin Oaks, MO is right for you. You can also come see us for one of Axes’ no-obligation injury screenings.

The Anatomy of the Spine

The spine supports both our physical bodies, and how our bodies communicate. 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 form the backbone. Every vertebra has a hole in the center to safeguard 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 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 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 incurs when moving. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a softer center called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb shock, 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 a long, thin, tubular structure, extending from the brain to your lumbar region, where the nerves continue into your lower body. The spinal cord is protected by spinal fluid and a membrane called dura mater. The neural foramen are openings in the vertebrae where the nerves to go into other parts of the body. 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, hold them in place, and give them 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 interfere with the spine and keep you from the things you love doing. When that happens, a spine specialist in Twin Oaks, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

What Injuries Can a Spine Specialist in Twin Oaks, MO Help With?

The American College of Physicians recommends certain physical therapy treatments for people living with lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently sustained a sports injury, Axes’ Twin Oaks, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we provide relief and improved function for in Twin Oaks, MO are:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either acute trauma or general degradation 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 the largest nerve in the body and begins in the lower spine. It can cause to crippling pain, weakness, and tingling 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, balance issues, and numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis describes several different types of joint disease. It occurs as the cushioning 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 are possible in 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 condition is currently ailing you, our Twin Oaks, MO spine specialists will form a team with you and your physician to come up with an evidence-backed treatment plan to get you back to the things you love doing most and a pain-free life. While some conditions, like degenerative disc disease, won’t ever fully go away, physical therapy is an effective part of a holistic wellness routine that eases symptoms and returns optimal mobility.

If you need surgery on your spine, we offer pre- and post-surgical rehab in Twin Oaks, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

What a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist Can Do For You in Twin Oaks, MO

Physical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular non-surgical option for a variety of issues affecting our musculoskeletal system. According to a study published By the American College of Physicians, physical therapy can get the same relief and results for some back pain as surgery, without the same recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Twin Oaks, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of long-term opioid use.

A qualified spine specialist will be able to find the root cause of your back problems, and create 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 techniques, physical therapy can reduce pain, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, enhance flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Issues

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

• Hands-On Care — Our Twin Oaks, 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 treat you include:
  • Trigger point dry needling
  • Soft tissue mobilization
  • Joint mobilization and manipulation
  • Trigger point massage
• Guided Exercise — Safe exercises are crucial for getting your soft tissue, joints, and bones stronger and more flexible. Beyond reducing pain 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 your injury and how it affects your body’s function, so you’ll know how to protect your spine while being active. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Twin Oaks, MO will be based not on just recovery or pain relief, but on getting you to your best possible movement health and keeping you there. Whatever your treatment plan includes, it will be based on time-tested techniques.

Other services we offer in Twin Oaks, 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 Twin Oaks, MO

Don’t let a back injury prevent you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our Twin Oaks, MO spine specialists strive for positive patient outcomes. Your pain may not have been your choice, but you do not have to choose to live with it. For a licensed and qualified Twin Oaks, MO spine specialist to help you, request an evaluation with Axes Physical Therapy today or contact the location closest to you