Chronic Pain Treatment Farmington, MO | Physical Therapists Near Farmington

Chronic Pain Treatment in Farmington, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Farmington, MO. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain knows the debilitating effect it can have on your life. Sometimes, 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 completing basic activities like doing household chores, or the activities we love most, whether that be dominating your local softball league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of 15 physical and occupational therapy centers committed to helping our Farmington, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to our location most convenient for you you or request an appointment for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 12 weeks, which is generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can occur every day or every few days, can be localized or radiate through your body, and can range from stiffness to stinging pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of U.S. adults had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced 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. 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 cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

What’s Behind Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is caused by a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as stubbing your toe, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain even after it’s healed . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, or happens as our bodies wear down as we age. Sometimes, there is no perceptible cause for someone’s chronic pain. Common types and causes of chronic pain include:

Arthritis 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.
Numerous different conditions that lead to lower 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 affect the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they bother other parts inside your body.
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 — In some cases, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of psychological stress.

You can read our pointers for relieving chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many people we see in Farmington, MO tell us that they have tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward lasting pain relief and getting back to the things that are most important to them.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Farmington, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that incorporating physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You are welcome to come to 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? Does anything make it better or worse? 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 treatment plan aimed at returning you to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy helps by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible movement health eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body function better, and disrupting any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Farmington, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but helps with any psychological stress caused by your pain. A professional Farmington, MO physical therapist can guide through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With these exercises, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be achieved without pain, rebuilding 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 muscles and joints. Your Farmington, 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 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 technique that is becoming more popular among Farmington, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate irritated muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. This eases pain as it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the nutrient-rich blood flow to the region.

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 prevent 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 do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Farmington, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Farmington, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Farmington, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: 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 pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Farmington, MO today or request an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.