Chronic Pain Treatment Arcadia, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Arcadia, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Arcadia, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how hard it is to express the effects it has on your daily life. Sometimes, it goes on so long that we lose sight of what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily activities like carrying in groceries, or the things we love best, whether that be sprinting down the court or being able to properly look after your children.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy centers devoted to helping our Arcadia, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, built on techniques that have been proven to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to the location most convenient for you you or contact us online for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 3-6 months, which is how long it typically takes pain to go away after an injury, surgery, or illness. The pain can occur every day or every few days, can be localized or hit different muscles or joints, and can be anything from aching to searing, intense pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 one out of five U.S. adults had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain limits work or life 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 significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and insomnia.

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is caused by trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as burns, cuts, broken bones, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a moment to several weeks.

By contrast, people can experience chronic pain for several reasons. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts despite the fact that, structurally, it has healed . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, or occurs as our bodies weaken with age. Sometimes, there is no perceptible cause for someone’s chronic pain. Common types and causes of chronic pain include:

Arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions that cause joint pain — The soft tissue in our joints can become inflamed or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that cause low back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults suffer from back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at a job that requires physical exertion, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they grow and touch bones, your spine, or other tissue.
Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, this refers to widespread muscle pain and tenderness.
Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — In some cases, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

You can read our suggestions for managing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Arcadia, MO patients have felt like they tried everything and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy is the treatment that finally gets them relief and returns them to the things that are most important to them.

Chronic Pain Treatment Arcadia, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near Arcadia

Why Is Physical Therapy in Arcadia, MO a Great Option For Chronic Pain Treatment?

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Arcadia, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic adjustments, massage, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. 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. How often do you have pain? Does anything make it better or worse? How is limiting you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to design a tailor-made treatment plan aimed at getting you back to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Helping you reach the best possible movement health eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body work better, and disrupting certain nerves from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Arcadia, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only alleviates pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety caused by your pain. A licensed Arcadia, MO physical therapist can lead you through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, rebuilding your brain’s trust in the rest of your body. 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 incorporates therapeutic touch to encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Arcadia, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely move soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either treatment method used by itself.

Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization is similar to manual therapy, except that instead of their hands, physical therapists use specialized tools like Graston®.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new technique that more and more Arcadia, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in damaged soft tissue. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the flow of nutrients to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes over the body part that’s causing you pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that stop your brain from receiving pain signals.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to cope with it can have a considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Arcadia, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Arcadia, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment Arcadia, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near Arcadia

Call Axes Physical Therapy For Your Chronic Pain Treatment in Arcadia, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in Arcadia, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive client experiences and help people return to to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Arcadia, MO today or make an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.