Spine Specialist Near Me in Winchester, MO

Spine specialist near me in Winchester, MO. Spine injuries can make normal activities like standing up painful, and disturb how our bodies function. For physically active people, back injuries can prevent you from being at the top of their game. For breadwinners, it can obstruct your ability to put food on the table for your Winchester, MO loved ones. For others, it can prevent us from taking walks or other physical activities. Physical therapists who specialize in the spine can help return to the functional and pain-free life you’re looking for. By developing a custom treatment plan, based on techniques proven to work, Axes Physical Therapy can help you achieve the mobility and pain relief your body needs to be at its best, and that you need to live your best life. If you’re prepared to finally move on from a crippling back condition, request an appointment with an Axes Winchester, MO spine specialist, or get in touch with the Axes location most convenient for you.

Pursuant to Missouri law, 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 Winchester, MO is what you need. You can also take advantage of one of our no-obligation 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 extends from the base of your brain to your pelvis. 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 cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions allow us to move; the others are immobile.

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 act as shock absorbers. There is one disc between each vertebra. Discs have a softer middle known as the nucleus pulposus, which allows for mobility and absorption, and an outer ring of tough fibers known as the annulus fibrosus that surrounds and protects the gel-like center.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a collection of nerves that travel through the vertebrae, from your brain to your tailbone, where the nerves continue into your lower body. 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 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 muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Ligaments attach vertebrae, hold them together, and give them structure. Muscles are attached to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

Living the lifestyle we want depends on all of these parts working together and functioning properly. Numerous different factors can make the spine damaged or unhealthy, which can significantly limit your ability to enjoy the activities you love most. When that happens, a spine specialist in Winchester, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can get you back to doing what you love most.

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

The American College of Physicians developed guidelines that include certain physical therapy treatments for lower back pain and neck pain. Whether you’re living with chronic pain or recently suffered a sports injury, Axes’ Winchester, MO spine specialists can help you live your best life. Some of the common conditions we treat in Winchester, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to either acute trauma or general degradation as we get older. They can impinge on a nerve which can be painful and limit mobility. Degenerative disc disease occurs as the cushioning in your spine wears away, 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 originates in the lumbar region. 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, balance issues, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is the inflammation of the facet joints. It onsets as the cartilage between the joints wears down over time or from over-exertion. It can also be caused by autoimmune disorders. There are over 100 types of arthritis, most of which are possible in the spine.
• Axial Back Pain — Also called 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 condition is currently ailing you, our Winchester, MO spine specialists will work with you and your physician to come up with 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 degenerative disc disease, can’t be “cured,” physical therapy is an effective part of a holistic wellness routine that reduces pain and other symptoms and achieves optimal mobility.

If your spine condition requires surgery, we can work with you in your pre- and post-surgical rehab in Winchester, MO to help your surgery go as well as possible.

Benefits of Working With a Physical Therapy Spine Specialist in Winchester, 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 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 Winchester, MO physical therapist is proven to reduce the risk of long-term opioid use.

A qualified spine specialist will be able to determine what is causing your pain or other issues, and create a treatment plan based on your medical history, how old you are, and your desired activity level. Through numerous different exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can reduce pain, improve the function of your spine by improving strength and flexibility, increase flexibility.

Physical Therapy for Spine Conditions

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

• Manual Therapy — Our Winchester, MO manual therapists are experts at using subtle pressures and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function 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 crucial for helping you build up strength, flexibility, and balance. Beyond managing symptoms now, certain exercises will also help overall function and improve movement health. 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 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. Our injury prevention program includes:
  • Patient education
  • Lifting education
  • Activity modification
  • Conditioning

Your treatment plan in Winchester, MO will be holistic and focused on getting you to your best possible movement health and helping you stay there. However we recommend treating your spine condition or back pain, it will be based on peer-reviewed studies that those techniques have been proven to work.

Other conditions we help treat in Winchester, 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 Winchester, MO

Don’t let a back injury keep you from living the life you want. At Axes, our Winchester, MO spine specialists are dedicated to 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 professional and qualified Winchester, MO spine specialist to treat you, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy now or find the location nearest you