Chronic Pain Treatment Clearwater, MO | Physical Therapists Near Clearwater

Chronic Pain Treatment in Clearwater, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Clearwater, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how limiting it can be. For some of us, the months or years we’ve dealt with it leads us to 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 working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of 15 physical therapy treatment locations dedicated to helping our Clearwater, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through custom-tailored and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to the activities you love most, call our location nearest you or contact us online for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 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 hit different body parts, and can change in severity from stiffness to searing, intense pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of adults nationwide had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those with 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. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain impacts quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

Why Do I Have Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is caused by trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as burns, cuts, broken bones, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a moment to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts after the tissue is repaired . In other cases, 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, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become damaged or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that lead to 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 job that requires physical exertion, sciatica, or disc injuries that impinge on the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they bother other parts inside your body.
Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, 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 because there is an issue in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

There are many tips for managing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many people we see in Clearwater, MO tell us that they have tried everything and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy is the strategy that finally gets them relief and returns them to the things that are most important to them.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Clearwater, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, yoga, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to considerable 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. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? Does anything make it better or worse? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to develop a personalized treatment plan aimed at returning you a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal movement health relieves pain and improves your quality of life by making your body function 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 Clearwater, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but eases any psychological stress caused by your pain. A professional Clearwater, MO physical therapist will guide through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With these exercises, 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 Clearwater, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely manipulate soft tissue. Research demonstrates 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 HawkGrips®.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that increasingly more Clearwater, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles and connective tissue. In doing so, 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 delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and awakens nerve cells that stop your brain from receiving pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to cope with it can have a considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Clearwater, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Clearwater, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Clearwater, MO, our objectives are clear: to deliver positive client outcomes and help people return to to their best life. Whether you want to be able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Clearwater, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.