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 consequences it can have on your 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 basic tasks like carrying in groceries, or the activities we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local flag football league or playing with your grandchildren.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical and occupational therapy locations dedicated to helping our Catawissa, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized chronic pain treatment plans, built on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. To get back to a pain-free daily life, call our location most convenient for you you or schedule an appointment for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after three 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 hit different muscles or joints, and can be anything 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 with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain affects how somebody can work or enjoy other activities. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain affects quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also cause significant mental health issues and insomnia.

What’s Behind Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damaged tissue, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. Often, pain is caused by a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, 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 after the tissue is repaired . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, 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, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions that cause joint pain — The soft tissue in our joints can become inflamed or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
• A variety of 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, repetitive motions at a job that requires physical exertion, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they push up against tissue, nerves, or organs.
• 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 because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

There are many tips for easing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Catawissa, MO patients have felt like they tried all of them and more and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy is the strategy that finally gets them relief and returns them to the things that are most important to them.

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Catawissa, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage therapy, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You can come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to learn why you might be experiencing chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. How often do you have pain? What makes it worse? What makes it better? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After your screening, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to develop a personalized course of treatment aimed at returning you to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible movement health eases pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to work better, and breaking up 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 Catawissa, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only alleviates pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A qualified Catawissa, MO physical therapist will help you perform 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 involves 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 safely manipulate soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are better at treating pain than either treatment method used by itself.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new technique that more and more Catawissa, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate damaged muscles and connective tissue. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and encourages the flow of nutrients to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and awakens nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals.

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 Catawissa, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement practices, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Catawissa, MO include:

• 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
• Migraine Relief

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Catawissa, MO, our objectives are simple: to deliver positive client outcomes and help people get back to the activities they love. Whether you want to be able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to carry the groceries in without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Catawissa, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.