Chronic Pain Treatment High Ridge, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in High Ridge, MO

Chronic pain treatment in High Ridge, MO. Anyone who has suffered from chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. For some of us, it goes on so long that we lose sight of how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing basic activities like walking up the stairs, or the activities we love best, whether that be dominating your local pick-up league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical therapy and rehabilitation locations devoted to helping our High Ridge, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, call the location nearest you or contact us online for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than three months, which is generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can stay in one spot or radiate through your body, and can be anything from stiffness to stinging pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 one out of five adults nationwide suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain limits work or life activities. Anyone who suffers from pain frequently will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain affects quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is due to a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a discernible, root 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 identifiable. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain despite the fact that, structurally, it has healed . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or occurs 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, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become irritated or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that lead to low back pain — Up to 84% of adults suffer from back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at work, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they bother tissue, nerves, or organs.
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, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

You can read our suggestions for managing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our High Ridge, MO patients 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 things that are most important to them.

Chronic Pain Treatment High Ridge, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near High Ridge

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of means in High Ridge, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic care, yoga, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You can come to any of our 15 locations 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 our evaluation, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to develop a customized course of treatment aimed at returning you a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible mobility eases pain and improves your quality of life by making your body work better, and disrupting any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in High Ridge, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only reduces pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A qualified High Ridge, MO physical therapist can help you perform exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. 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 at home.

Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization

Manual therapy involves therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your High Ridge, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either treatment method used alone.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like Graston®, 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 is becoming more popular among High Ridge, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate damaged muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the nutrient-rich blood flow to the affected area.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and awakens nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to cope with it can have a significant positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in High Ridge, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement practices, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in High Ridge, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment High Ridge, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near High Ridge

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in High Ridge, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive client experiences and help our patients get back to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to run across the tennis court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in High Ridge, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.