Chronic Pain Treatment Hillsboro, MO | Physical Therapists Near Hillsboro

Chronic Pain Treatment in Hillsboro, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Hillsboro, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well the debilitating consequences it can have on your life. 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 activities like carrying in groceries, or the activities we love best, whether that be flying down the court or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy centers dedicated to helping our Hillsboro, MO patients find meaningful relief through custom-tailored and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, call our location nearest you or contact us online for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than three months, 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 stiffness to agonizing pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 one out of five U.S. adults 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,” affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Anyone who suffers from frequent pain symptoms will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain impacts quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, 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 immediately, usually because of a known, root cause such as falling, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts after the tissue is repaired . Other times, it’s caused by an illness, or degenerative disease. Sometimes, there is no observable cause for someone’s chronic pain. Common types and causes of chronic pain include:

Arthritis 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 chronic pain in the affected joint.
Numerous different conditions that lead to low back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at work, 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 — Sometimes, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but because there is an issue in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

You can check out our pointers for easing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many people we see in Hillsboro, MO have felt like they tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy is the treatment that finally gets them relief and returns them to a pain-free daily life.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Hillsboro, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage therapy, and regular exercise. Studies show that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You can visit any Axes location in the Hillsboro area for a free screening to better understand why you might be suffering from chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. How often do you have pain? What makes it worse? What makes it better? How is limiting you in your daily life? After your screening, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to develop a customized course of treatment aimed at getting you back a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal mobility eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body work better, and breaking up 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 Hillsboro, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety caused by your pain. A professional Hillsboro, MO physical therapist can help you perform exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With guided exercise, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be performed 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 promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Hillsboro, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely put pressure on soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are better at treating pain than either technique used by itself.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specially designed 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 tool that more and more Hillsboro, 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 stimulates the nutrient-rich blood flow to the affected body part.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes over the body part that’s causing you pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Hillsboro, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Hillsboro, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Hillsboro, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient experiences and help people get back to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Hillsboro, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.