Chronic Pain Treatment Fenton, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Fenton, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Fenton, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how limiting it can be. Sometimes, the months or years we’ve dealt with it causes us to forget how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily tasks like carrying in groceries, or the things we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local pick-up league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy locations devoted to helping our Fenton, MO patients find meaningful relief through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been proven to work. To get back to a pain-free daily life, reach out to our location nearest you or schedule an appointment 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 generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. 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 stinging pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of adults nationwide dealt with 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. Anyone who suffers from frequent pain symptoms will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain affects quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also cause significant mental health issues 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 a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a known, root cause such as falling, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a moment to several weeks.

By contrast, people can experience chronic pain for several reasons. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain after the tissue is repaired . In other cases, it’s caused by a medical condition, or happens as our bodies wear down as we age. Sometimes, there is no observable cause for someone’s chronic pain. 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 joint pain.
A variety of conditions that cause lower back pain — Up to 84% of adults will deal with back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at work, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they push up against bones, your spine, or other tissue.
Fibromyalgia — While experts are still trying to understand the exact cause of fibromyalgia, this refers to pain you feel in your muscles all over your body.
Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — Sometimes, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

There are many suggestions for easing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many of our Fenton, MO patients tell us that they have tried everything and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward meaningful pain relief and getting back to the activities they love.

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

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of modalities in Fenton, MO, including medication, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage therapy, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You are welcome to come to any Axes location in the Fenton area for a free screening to learn what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll ask you questions to better understand how we can help you. How often do you have pain? What makes it worse? What makes it better? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After your screening, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to develop a customized course of treatment aimed at returning you to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible movement health relieves pain and enhances your daily life by making your body work better, and breaking up certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, your age, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Fenton, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but eases any psychological stress you feel because of your pain. A professional Fenton, MO physical therapist can guide through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With guided exercise, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be achieved without pain, rebuilding how your brain processes messages. 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 involves therapeutic touch to encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your Fenton, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely put pressure on your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either technique used alone.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like HawkGrips®, instead of their hands, to improve tissue alignment and locate degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that increasingly more Fenton, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in 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 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 block the transmission of pain messages.

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 Fenton, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement practices, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Fenton, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Fenton, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive client outcomes and help our patients 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 Fenton, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.