Spine Specialist Near Me in Womack, MO

Spine specialist near me in Womack, MO. Spine injuries can make everyday tasks like bending over difficult, and keep us from optimal movement health. For physically active people, back issues can prevent you from being at the top of their game. For workers, it can obstruct your ability to put food on the table for your Womack, MO loved ones. For others, it can prevent us from taking the dog for a walk or playing with our children as we’d like to. Physical therapists who specialize in the spine can help return to what you love doing most. Through safe and proven exercises and treatment plans, Axes Physical Therapy can help you achieve the mobility and pain relief your body needs to function, and that you need to live your best life. If you’re prepared to finally move on from a crippling back condition, schedule an evaluation with an Axes Womack, MO spine specialist, or reach out to the Axes location nearest you.

According to Missouri law, a doctor needs to prescribe physical therapy. If you’re recovering from a back or neck injury, or are find that back pain is disrupting your daily life, ask your doctor if physical therapy with a spine specialist in Womack, MO can be safe and effective for you. You can also take advantage of one of Axes’ 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 extends from the base of your brain to your pelvis. 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 stack on top of each other to form the spinal canal. Every vertebra has a hole in the middle 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 provide mobility; the others are immobile.

Facet Joints

Facet joints connect the vertebrae. They allow your back and neck to perform a variety of movements. Between the joints and bones are cartilage and synovial fluid, allowing the bones to move safely.

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 softer middle called the nucleus pulposus, which gives them flexibility and allows them to absorb impact, and an outer ring of tough fibers known as the annulus fibrosus that prevent the gel-like center from leaking out.

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord consists of nerves running up the bones in your spine, from your brain to your pelvis, where the nerves go into the lower part of your body. The spinal cord is protected by spinal fluid and a membrane called dura mater. 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

The spine also has various types of soft tissue. Ligaments connect bones together, hold them in place, and give them structure. Muscles are attached to bones by tendons, and power their movement.

Achieving the lifestyle we want depends on all of these parts working together and functioning properly. Numerous different factors can interfere with the spine and severely limit your ability to enjoy the activities you love most. If you’re living with back pain or spine issues, a spine specialist in Womack, MO like Axes’ physical therapists can provide safe and effective relief.

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

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 living with chronic pain or recently suffered a sports injury, Axes’ Womack, MO spine specialists can help get you feeling great again. Some of the common conditions we treat in Womack, MO include:

• Disc Injuries — Herniated discs and bulging discs can be due to 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 a natural result of aging, 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 originates in the lower spine. Symptoms include crippling pain, weakness, and tingling through your buttock and leg.
• Spinal Stenosis — Stenosis occurs when the space inside your backbone is too small. It can cause pain, balance problems, and loss of sensation in your hands or feet.
• Spinal Arthritis — Arthritis is the inflammation of the facet joints. It occurs as the cushioning between the joints wears down over time or from over-exertion. 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 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. Axial back pain can be caused by obesity or poor posture.

Physical therapy can also help with muscle strains, whiplash, and other more acute injuries.

Whatever is causing your back pain or injury, our Womack, MO spine specialists will work with you and your physician to develop 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 degenerative disc disease, 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 Womack, MO to help you be healthy for surgery and recovery quickly and safely.

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

More and more people are turning to physical therapy as a non-surgical option for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. 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, and doesn’t involve the same recovery time or risk of adverse side-effects. Early intervention by a licensed Womack, MO physical therapist has been demonstrated to reduce long-term opioid dependence.

A licensed spine specialist will be able to determine what is causing your pain or other issues, and develop a treatment plan based on your injures, how old you are, and your desired activity level. Through numerous different exercises and manual therapy, physical therapy can limit symptoms, improve the function of your spine by increasing strength and flexibility, increase range of motion.

Physical Therapy for Spine Conditions

Depending on your specific condition, your Womack, MO spine specialist at Axes may implement some of the following practices to help get you back to what you love doing most:

• Manual Therapy — Our Womack, MO manual therapists are experts at using light pressures and stretches to alleviate symptoms and improve function caused by muscle or joint dysfunction. Manual therapy 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, certain exercises 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 believe you’re moving on from an injury, only to suffer another injury in the future. 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 Womack, MO will be comprehensive and focused on getting you to your best possible movement health 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 conditions we help treat in Womack, MO include:

• 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
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Count on Axes For Your Spine Specialist Near Me in Womack, MO

Don’t let a spine condition keep you from what you love doing most. At Axes, our Womack, MO spine specialists strive for positive patient outcomes. You didn’t decide to live with back pain, but you do not have to decide to live with it. For a professional and knowledgeable Womack, MO spine specialist to help you, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or find the location nearest you