Chronic Pain Treatment in All Saints Village, MO
Chronic pain treatment in All Saints Village, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well the debilitating consequences it can have on your life. For some of us, it goes on so long that we lose sight of how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing basic tasks like doing household chores, or the things we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local softball league or picking up your children.
Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical therapy and rehabilitation locations dedicated to helping our All Saints Village, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to the activities you love most, reach out to the location most convenient for you you or contact us online for successful chronic pain treatment.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 3-6 months, which is generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can be localized or hit different body parts, and can be anything from aching to searing, intense pain.
Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 one out of five adults nationwide suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those who experienced chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Anyone who suffers from pain frequently will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain affects quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
What Causes Chronic Pain?
Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. In most cases, pain is caused by a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as stubbing your toe, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a moment to months while the injury heals.
By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts even after it’s healed . Other times, it’s caused by an illness, or happens as our bodies weaken with age. Sometimes, the pain isn’t caused by a specific condition, but rather from things like poor posture, obesity, or overexertion. Common types and causes of chronic pain include:
- Arthritis and other diseases that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become inflamed or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
- Numerous different conditions that cause low back pain — Up to 84% of adults will deal with back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at work, sciatica, or disc injuries that impinge on the nerves in the spinal column.
- Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they push up against tissue, nerves, or organs.
- Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, this refers to pain you feel in your muscles all over your body.
- Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — Sometimes, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.
You can read our pointers for easing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our All Saints Village, MO patients have felt like they tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward lasting pain relief and getting back to the things that are most important to them.
How Do Physical Therapists in All Saints Village, MO Help With Chronic Pain Treatment?
Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of modalities in All Saints Village, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You can come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to learn what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll ask you questions to better understand how we can help you. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? When does it come on? When does it get better? How is limiting you in your daily life? From there, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to come up with a personalized course of treatment aimed at getting you back a comfortable daily life.
Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Helping you achieve optimal movement health eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body function better, and breaking up any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, how old you are, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in All Saints Village, MO may include:
Guided Exercise
Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only reduces pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety caused by your pain. A qualified All Saints Village, MO physical therapist will help you perform exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With guided exercise, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, rebuilding how your brain processes messages. Through guided exercise, we’ll be able to teach you safe exercises you can do on your own.
Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization
Manual therapy involves therapeutic touch to encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your All Saints Village, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently move your muscles and joints. Studies have shown that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either technique used by itself.
With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like HawkGrips®, instead of their hands, to smooth out tissue and locate degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.
Dry Needling
Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new technique that more and more All Saints Village, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate damaged muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and stimulates the flow of nutrients to the affected body part.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. It sends low-level electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that stop your brain from receiving pain messages.
Patient Education
Understanding the cause of your pain and how to cope with it can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in All Saints Village, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement techniques, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.
Other services we offer in All Saints Village, MO include:
- Sports Medicine
- Hand Pain Physical Therapy
- Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
- Hip Pain Treatment
- Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
- Stroke Rehabilitation
- Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
- Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
- Migraine Relief
- Sprain and Strain Treatment
Call Axes Physical Therapy For Your Chronic Pain Treatment in All Saints Village, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy in All Saints Village, MO, our objectives are clear: to deliver positive client experiences and help people return to to the things they love doing most. Whether you want to be able to run across the tennis court like you used to, or just want to carry the groceries in pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in All Saints Village, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.
