Chronic Pain Treatment Jefferson Barracks, MO | Physical Therapists Near Jefferson Barracks

Chronic Pain Treatment in Jefferson Barracks, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Jefferson Barracks, 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 forget what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing basic tasks like walking up the stairs, or the activities we love most, whether that be dominating your local flag football league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical therapy and rehabilitation locations devoted to helping our Jefferson Barracks, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized chronic pain treatment plans, built on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, call the location most convenient for you 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 generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can be localized or radiate through your body, and can change in severity from aching to searing, intense 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 with chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” 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 cause significant mental health issues and insomnia.

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as burns, cuts, broken bones, 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 identifiable. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain after the tissue is repaired . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or happens as our bodies wear down as we age. Sometimes, there is no discernible 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 soft tissue in our joints can become damaged or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that lead to low back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults will deal with 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 lead to pain when they bother 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, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, 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 relieving chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our Jefferson Barracks, MO patients tell us that they have tried all of them and more and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward lasting pain relief and getting back to a pain-free daily life.

Chronic Pain Treatment Jefferson Barracks, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near Jefferson Barracks

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Jefferson Barracks, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, 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 better understand why you might be experiencing chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. How often do you have pain? When does it come on? When does it get better? How is limiting you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll form a team with you and your physician to develop a customized treatment plan aimed at returning you to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy helps by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve the best possible movement health relieves pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to work better, and interrupting certain nerves 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 Jefferson Barracks, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A licensed Jefferson Barracks, MO physical therapist will lead you through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With these exercises, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, rebuilding how your brain processes messages. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do outside of our sessions.

Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization

Manual therapy incorporates therapeutic touch to encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Jefferson Barracks, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely put pressure on soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either treatment method used by itself.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like Astym®, 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 Jefferson Barracks, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in inflamed muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and stimulates the nutrient-rich blood flow to the affected area.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes where the pain is located. It sends low-level 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 deal with it in your daily life can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Jefferson Barracks, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement techniques, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Jefferson Barracks, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment Jefferson Barracks, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near Jefferson Barracks

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Jefferson Barracks, MO, our goals are simple: to deliver positive patient outcomes and help our patients get back to the activities they love. Whether you want to be 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 Jefferson Barracks, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.