Chronic Pain Treatment Bismarck, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Bismarck, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Bismarck, MO. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain knows how hard it is to express the effects it has on your daily life. Sometimes, it goes on so long that we forget how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily tasks like doing household chores, or the things we love best, whether that be dominating your local pick-up league or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy locations devoted to helping our Bismarck, MO patients find lasting relief through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to our location most convenient for you you or request an appointment for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 12 weeks, which is generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can stay in one spot or hit different body parts, and can change in severity from dull soreness to agonizing pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of U.S. adults had 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 impacts quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

What’s Behind Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is due to a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a known, root cause such as falling, 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 even after it’s healed . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or degenerative disease. 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 conditions that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become irritated or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
Numerous different conditions that lead to low back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at a physically demanding job, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they grow and touch other parts inside your body.
Fibromyalgia — While experts are still trying to understand the exact cause of fibromyalgia, this refers to pain that affects your muscles and joints throughout your body.
Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — In some cases, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of psychological stress.

There are many suggestions for easing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our Bismarck, MO patients tell us that they have tried all of them and more and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward meaningful pain relief and getting back to the activities they love.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Bismarck, MO, including medication, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You can come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to better understand 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? Does anything make it better or worse? How is limiting you in your daily life? After your screening, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to design a personalized course of treatment aimed at getting you back to the things you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve the best possible mobility relieves pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to work better, and breaking up any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, your age, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Bismarck, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but eases any psychological stress you feel because of your pain. A professional Bismarck, MO physical therapist will lead you through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With these exercises, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, rebuilding how your brain processes messages. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do outside of our sessions.

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 Bismarck, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on your muscles and joints. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either technique used by itself.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new tool that more and more Bismarck, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in irritated muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In doing so, it encourages the body to start to heal itself and encourages the nutrient-rich blood flow to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes where the pain is located. It sends low-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and awakens nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to cope with it can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Bismarck, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement practices, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Bismarck, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Bismarck, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive client experiences and help people get back to their best life. Whether you miss being able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to carry the groceries in pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Bismarck, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.