Chronic Pain Treatment Fenton, MO | Physical Therapists Near Fenton

Chronic Pain Treatment in Fenton, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Fenton, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how hard it is to express how much it limits you. For some of us, 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 performing daily activities like doing household chores, or the things we love most, whether that be dominating your local softball league or playing with your kids.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical therapy treatment locations committed to helping our Fenton, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to the activities you love most, reach out to our location nearest you or schedule an appointment for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 12 weeks, which is how long it takes most people and conditions to heal. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can be localized or hit different muscles or joints, and can change in severity from stiffness to burning 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 with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” limits work or life 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 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 due to an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a known, 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, 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 an illness, 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 and other diseases 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 cause lower back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults suffer from back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at a physically demanding job, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they grow and touch 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 mental health issues or your personal history.

You can check out our suggestions for easing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Fenton, MO patients have felt like they tried all of them and more 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.

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

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of modalities in Fenton, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic care, massage, and consistent exercise. Studies show that including physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You are welcome to visit any Axes location in the Fenton area for a free screening to better understand why you might be suffering from 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 is limiting you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll form a team with you and your physician to come up with a customized treatment plan aimed at getting you back to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain 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 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 Fenton, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but helps with any depression, stress, and/or anxiety related to your pain. A qualified Fenton, MO physical therapist can guide through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With guided exercise, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, restoring your brain’s trust in the rest of your body. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do at home.

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 gently put pressure on your muscles and joints. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either treatment method used by itself.

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 treatment method that is becoming more popular among Fenton, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles and connective tissue. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” 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 sends low-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates 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 Fenton, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions 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, our objectives are clear: to deliver positive patient outcomes and help people return to to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to carry the groceries in without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Fenton, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.

Fenton, MO