Chronic Pain Treatment in Kinloch, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Kinloch, 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 lose sight of how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily activities like walking up the stairs, or the activities we love most, whether that be dominating your local pickleball league or picking up your kids.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of 15 physical and occupational therapy centers dedicated to helping our Kinloch, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to the location most convenient for you you or schedule an appointment for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than three months, which is generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can occur every day or every few days, can stay in one spot or hit different muscles or joints, and can range from dull soreness to searing, intense pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of adults nationwide dealt with chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced 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 higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

What’s Behind Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damaged tissue, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. In most cases, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as stubbing your toe, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a moment to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, people can experience chronic pain for several reasons. 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 degenerative disease. 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 cause lower back pain — Up to 84% of adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. 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 cause pain when they grow and touch tissue, nerves, or organs.
• 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 dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

You can check out our suggestions for easing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many people we see in Kinloch, MO tell us that they have 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.

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Kinloch, MO, including medication, chiropractic care, yoga, and consistent exercise. Studies show that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You can visit any of our 15 locations for a free screening to learn why you might be suffering from chronic pain. We’ll ask you questions to better understand how we can help you. How often do you have pain? What makes it worse? What makes it better? How is limiting you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to come up with a tailor-made treatment plan aimed at getting you back to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Helping you reach the best possible mobility eases pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to function better, and disrupting any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Kinloch, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but helps with any psychological stress caused by your pain. A qualified Kinloch, MO physical therapist will 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 outside of our sessions.

Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization

Manual therapy involves therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your Kinloch, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either technique used by itself.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new technique that is becoming more popular among Kinloch, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed soft tissue. In doing so, it encourages the body to start to heal itself 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-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving pain signals.

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 Kinloch, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other services we offer in Kinloch, MO include:

• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
• 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 Kinloch, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in Kinloch, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient outcomes 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 walk up the stairs without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Kinloch, MO today or schedule an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.