Chronic Pain Treatment Grantwood Village, MO | Physical Therapists Near Grantwood Village

Chronic Pain Treatment in Grantwood Village, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Grantwood Village, MO. Anyone who has had to deal with chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. Sometimes, the months or years we’ve dealt with it causes us to lose sight of 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 most, whether that be sprinting down the field or picking up your kids.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy locations devoted to helping our Grantwood Village, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through custom-tailored chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been proven to work. To get back to the activities you love most, call our location nearest you or contact us online for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 3-6 months, which is how long it typically takes pain to go away after an injury, surgery, or illness. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can be localized or hit different body parts, and can range from stiffness to burning pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of adults nationwide had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% 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. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain impacts 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, occurs when nerves called nociceptors detect damage somewhere in your body, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. Often, pain is due to trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as an injury, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a few minutes to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain even after it’s healed . Other times, 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, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become inflamed or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that cause low back pain — Up to 84% of adults suffer from back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at a physically demanding job, sciatica, or disc injuries that impinge on the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to 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 because there is an issue in the nervous system, or because of psychological stress.

You can read our pointers for relieving chronic pain, and while many are effective, many people we see in Grantwood Village, MO tell us that they have tried everything and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy is the strategy that finally gets them relief and returns them to a pain-free daily life.

Chronic Pain Treatment Grantwood Village, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near Grantwood Village

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Grantwood Village, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, yoga, and consistent exercise. Studies show that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You can visit any Axes location in the Grantwood Village area for a free screening to better understand what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? Does anything make it better or worse? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll work in tandem with you and your doctor to design a tailor-made course of treatment aimed at getting you back a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal mobility relieves pain and improves your quality of life by allowing your body to function better, and disrupting certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. 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 Grantwood Village, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but eases any psychological stress related to your pain. A professional Grantwood Village, MO physical therapist will lead you through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. 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 Grantwood Village, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely 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 alone.

Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization is a form of manual therapy, except that instead of their hands, physical therapists use specialized tools like Graston®.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that increasingly more Grantwood Village, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate damaged muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. This eases pain as it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the flow of blood to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. It sends low-level 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 Grantwood Village, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other services we offer in Grantwood Village, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment Grantwood Village, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near Grantwood Village

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Grantwood Village, MO, our objectives are clear: to achieve positive patient experiences and help our patients get back to the activities they love. Whether you want to be able to run across the tennis court like you used to, or just want to carry the groceries in pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Grantwood Village, MO today or request an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.