Chronic Pain Treatment in Clover Bottom, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Clover Bottom, 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 daily tasks like doing household chores, or the activities we love best, whether that be sprinting down the court or picking up your grandchildren.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical therapy treatment centers dedicated to helping our Clover Bottom, MO patients find meaningful relief through customized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to the activities you love most, call the location nearest you or request an appointment for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 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 stay in one spot or hit different body parts, and can range from dull soreness to stinging 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) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, which is pain that occurs on more days than not that affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Anyone who suffers from frequent pain symptoms will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain impacts 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, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a known, root cause such as falling, 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. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain even after it’s healed . 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 soft tissue in our joints can become inflamed or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
• A variety of conditions that cause lower back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults will deal with back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at a physically demanding job, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
• 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 an issue in the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

You can check out our pointers for relieving chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many of our Clover Bottom, 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 activities they love.

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Clover Bottom, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, and consistent exercise. Studies show 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 learn what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. How often do you have pain? When does it come on? When does it get 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 getting you back to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you reach the best possible movement health eases pain and improves your quality of life by making your body function better, and breaking up 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 Clover Bottom, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but helps with any depression, stress, and/or anxiety related to your pain. A professional Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist will help you perform exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be performed without pain, rebuilding 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 muscles and joints. Your Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely manipulate soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either technique used by itself.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specially designed 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 is becoming more popular among Clover Bottom, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In doing so, it encourages the body to start to heal itself and stimulates the flow of blood to the affected body part.

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 awakens nerve cells that stop 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 considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Clover Bottom, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement practices, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Clover Bottom, 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 Clover Bottom, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in Clover Bottom, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to achieve positive patient outcomes and help people return to 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 walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Clover Bottom, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.