Chronic Pain Treatment in Calverton Park, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Calverton Park, MO. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. 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 completing daily tasks like walking up the stairs, or the things we love best, whether that be dominating your local flag football league or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of 15 physical therapy treatment centers committed to helping our Calverton Park, MO patients achieve positive outcomes 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, call the location nearest you or request an appointment for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 12 weeks, which is how long it typically takes pain to go away after an injury, surgery, or illness. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can stay in one spot or radiate through your body, and can range from aching to agonizing pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of 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 enjoy other activities. Anyone who suffers from pain frequently will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain reduces quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. In most cases, pain is caused by an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as falling, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain even after it’s healed . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, or happens as our bodies wear down as we 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 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 lead to low back pain — Up to 84% of adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at work, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they push up against other parts inside your body.
• 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, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

There are many suggestions for managing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many people we see in Calverton Park, MO tell us that they have 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.

How Do Physical Therapists in Calverton Park, MO Help With Chronic Pain Treatment?

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Calverton Park, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You can visit any of our 15 locations for a free screening to better understand what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. How often do you have pain? Does anything make it better or worse? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to come up with a personalized course of treatment aimed at returning you to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve the best possible movement health eases pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to work better, and breaking up certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Calverton Park, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A qualified Calverton Park, MO physical therapist will help you perform exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With guided exercise, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be carried out without pain, restoring 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 incorporates therapeutic touch to encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Calverton Park, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely move your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either technique used alone.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like Graston®, instead of their hands, to improve tissue alignment and locate degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that more and more Calverton Park, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in damaged muscles and connective tissue. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and stimulates 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 stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Calverton Park, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Calverton Park, MO include:

• 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
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Calverton Park, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient experiences and help people return to to the activities they love. 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 Calverton Park, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.