Chronic Pain Treatment in Catawissa, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Catawissa, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well the debilitating effect it can have on your life. For some of us, 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 basic tasks like walking up the stairs, or the things we love doing the most, whether that be flying down the court or playing with your grandchildren.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy centers dedicated to helping our Catawissa, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through custom-tailored and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to a pain-free daily life, call our location most convenient for you you or contact us online for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 3-6 months, which is how long it takes most people and conditions to heal. The pain can occur every day or every few days, can stay in one spot or radiate through your body, and can range from dull soreness to agonizing pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 one out of five adults nationwide dealt with chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) had “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 significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, occurs when nerves called nociceptors detect damaged tissue, and send a signal through your spinal cord up to your brain. In most cases, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as an injury, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. 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 a medical condition, or occurs as our bodies wear down as we age. Sometimes, there is no observable cause for someone’s chronic pain. Common types and causes of chronic pain include:

• Arthritis and other conditions that cause joint pain — The soft tissue in our joints can become damaged or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
• Numerous different conditions that cause low back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults will deal with back pain eventually. 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 bother other parts inside your body.
• Fibromyalgia — While experts are still trying to understand the exact cause of fibromyalgia, 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 because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

There are many tips for managing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Catawissa, 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 a pain-free daily life.

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of means in Catawissa, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, yoga, and regular exercise. Studies show that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You are welcome to come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to better understand why you might be suffering from 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? From there, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to design a personalized treatment plan aimed at getting you back a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal movement health eases pain and improves your quality of life by making your body work better, and breaking up certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Catawissa, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only reduces pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety you feel because of your pain. A professional Catawissa, MO physical therapist will lead you through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With these exercises, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, restoring 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 muscles and joints. Your Catawissa, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate 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.

Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization is a form of 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 treatment method that is becoming more popular among Catawissa, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in irritated muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and encourages the flow of blood to the affected area.

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 awakens nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving pain signals.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can have a significant positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Catawissa, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Catawissa, MO include:

• Soft Tissue Mobilization
• Post Surgical Rehabilitation
• Shin Splint Treatment
• Direct Access Physical Therapy
• Gait Analysis
• Pelvic Floor Therapy
• Dry Needling Near Me
• Tendonitis Treatment
• Manual Physical Therapy
• Orthopedic Rehab Near Me

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Catawissa, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to achieve positive patient experiences and help our patients return to to the things they love doing most. Whether you want to be able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Catawissa, MO today or make an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.