Chronic Pain Treatment in Green Park, MO
Chronic pain treatment in Green Park, MO. Anyone who has had to deal with chronic pain knows how hard it is to express how much it limits you. For some of us, it goes on so long that we lose sight of how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing 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 therapy treatment centers dedicated to helping our Green Park, MO patients find lasting relief through customized chronic pain treatment plans, built on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. To get back to a pain-free daily life, reach out to our location nearest you or make an appointment for successful chronic pain treatment.
What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 12 weeks, 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 radiate through your body, and can range from dull soreness to burning pain.
According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of adults nationwide suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is pain that occurs on more days than not that 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 reduces quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.
Why Do I Have Chronic Pain?
Pain, in general, 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 immediately, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as stubbing your toe, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a moment to several weeks.
By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts even after it’s healed . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or happens as our bodies weaken with 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 conditions that cause joint pain — The soft tissue in our joints can become damaged or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
- 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 work, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
- Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they bother other parts inside your body.
- Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, this refers to widespread muscle pain and tenderness.
- Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — Sometimes, 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 check out our pointers for relieving chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many people we see in Green Park, MO 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 Green Park, MO Help With Chronic Pain Treatment?
Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of means in Green Park, MO, including medication, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage therapy, and regular exercise. Studies show that incorporating physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You are welcome to visit any Axes location in the Green Park 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. 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 your screening, we’ll work in tandem with you and your physician to develop a customized course of treatment aimed at returning you to the things you love most.
Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Helping you reach the best possible mobility eases pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to work better, and disrupting certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, how old you are, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Green Park, MO may include:
Guided Exercise
Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety you feel because of your pain. A licensed Green Park, MO physical therapist can guide through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, 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. 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 promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Green Park, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently move soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is more effective than either technique 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 tool that is becoming more popular among Green Park, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate irritated muscles and connective tissue. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself 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 delivers low-voltage currents, which releases 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 have a considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Green Park, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.
Other services we offer in Green Park, MO include:
- Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
- Migraine Relief
- Sprain and Strain Treatment
- Geriatric Physical Therapy
- Injury Rehabilitation
- Pain Management Services
- TMJ Treatment
- Herniated Disc Treatment
- Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment
- Running Injury
Call Axes Physical Therapy For Your Chronic Pain Treatment in Green Park, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy in Green Park, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to achieve positive client outcomes and help our patients return to to the things they love doing most. Whether you miss being able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Green Park, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.