Chronic Pain Treatment in Clarkson Valley, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Clarkson Valley, MO. Anyone who has had to deal with chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. Sometimes, it goes on so long that we forget what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily activities like doing household chores, or the activities we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local pickleball league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical therapy treatment locations devoted to helping our Clarkson Valley, 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, reach out to our location most convenient for you you or contact us online 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 be constant or can come and go, can be localized or hit different body parts, and can change in severity from stiffness to searing, intense 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) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain affects how somebody can work or perform 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.

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. Often, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as being hit with something, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a few minutes 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 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 irritated 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 — Up to 84% of 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 impinge on the nerves in the spinal column.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they bother tissue, nerves, or organs.
• Fibromyalgia — While experts are still trying to understand the exact cause of fibromyalgia, this refers to widespread muscle pain and tenderness.
• Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — Sometimes, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

You can check out our tips for easing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many of our Clarkson Valley, MO patients 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.

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Clarkson Valley, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic adjustments, yoga, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You can visit any of our 15 locations for a free screening to better understand why you might be experiencing chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? What makes it worse? What makes it better? How is limiting you in your daily life? After your screening, we’ll work in tandem with you and your physician to design a personalized course of treatment aimed at getting you back a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Helping you achieve optimal movement health relieves pain and improves your quality of life by making your body work better, and interrupting certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, how old you are, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Clarkson Valley, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but eases any psychological stress you feel because of your pain. A professional Clarkson Valley, 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, restoring how your brain processes messages. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do at home.

Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization

Manual therapy incorporates therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Clarkson Valley, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently move soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are better at treating pain 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 tool that is becoming more popular among Clarkson Valley, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed soft tissue. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and stimulates the nutrient-rich blood flow 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 awakens nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to cope with it can have a significant positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Clarkson Valley, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Clarkson Valley, MO include:

• Beginner Running Program
• Spine Specialist Near Me
• MCL Injury
• Shoulder Pain
• Injury Prevention
• Mobility
• Knee Injury
• Joint Pain
• Sciatica

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Clarkson Valley, MO, our goals are clear: to achieve positive patient experiences and help people get back to the things they love doing most. 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 Clarkson Valley, MO today or request an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.