Chronic Pain Treatment in Dellwood, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Dellwood, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how hard it is to express the effects it has on your daily life. For some of us, it goes on so long that we lose sight of how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily activities like walking up the stairs, or the things we love best, whether that be dominating your local softball league or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical therapy treatment locations committed to helping our Dellwood, MO patients find lasting relief through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to the location most convenient for you 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 typically takes pain to go away after an injury, surgery, or illness. The pain can occur every day or every few days, can stay in one spot or hit different body parts, and can be anything from dull soreness to stinging 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) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” limits work or life 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 higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. In most cases, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a known, root cause such as being hit with something, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily identifiable. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts after the tissue is repaired . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or occurs as our bodies wear down as we age. 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 and other diseases that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become irritated or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
• Numerous different conditions that lead to low back pain — Up to 84% of adults will deal with back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at a physically demanding job, sciatica, or disc injuries that impinge on the nerves in the spinal column.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they push up against other parts inside your body.
• Fibromyalgia — While experts are still trying to understand the exact cause of fibromyalgia, this refers to pain that affects your muscles and joints throughout your body.
• Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — Sometimes, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

There are many pointers for relieving chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our Dellwood, MO patients have felt like they tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy is the strategy that finally gets them relief and returns them to the activities they love.

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of modalities in Dellwood, MO, including medication, chiropractic care, massage, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You can come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to better understand what might be causing your 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 is limiting you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to design a customized course of treatment aimed at returning you to the things you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal movement health eases pain and improves your quality of life by allowing your body to function better, and breaking up any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Dellwood, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but helps with any depression, stress, and/or anxiety you feel because of your pain. A licensed Dellwood, MO physical therapist can help you perform exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With guided exercise, 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 incorporates therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your Dellwood, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely move soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either treatment method used alone.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like HawkGrips®, 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 Dellwood, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate irritated muscles and connective tissue. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the flow of blood to the affected body part.

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 stop your brain from receiving pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to cope with it can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Dellwood, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Dellwood, 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 Dellwood, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in Dellwood, MO, our goals are clear: to achieve positive client experiences and help people return to to their best life. Whether you want to be able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Dellwood, MO today or request an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.