Chronic Pain Treatment Kirkwood, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Kirkwood, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Kirkwood, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how limiting it can be. For some of us, it goes on so long that we lose sight of what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing basic activities like walking up the stairs, or the activities we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local pickleball league or being able to properly look after your children.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical and occupational therapy centers devoted to helping our Kirkwood, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to the activities you love most, call the location nearest you or contact us online for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 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 radiate through your body, and can range from aching to burning pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 one out of five adults nationwide suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those with chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain limits work or life activities. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. 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, generally speaking, occurs when nerves called nociceptors detect damaged tissue, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. In most cases, pain is caused by an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as being hit with something, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a moment to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily identifiable. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts after the tissue is repaired . 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 over time or due to an injury, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
Numerous different conditions that cause low back pain — Up to 84% of adults will deal with back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at work, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they push up against tissue, nerves, or organs.
Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, this refers to pain that affects your muscles and joints throughout your body.
Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — In some cases, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

There are many pointers for relieving chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many people we see in Kirkwood, 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.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Kirkwood, MO, including medication, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage, and consistent exercise. Studies show that including physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You can visit any Axes location in the Kirkwood area for a free screening to better understand 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? When does it come on? When does it get better? How is limiting you in your daily life? From there, we’ll form a team with you and your physician to develop a tailor-made treatment plan aimed at getting you back a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible mobility relieves pain and improves your quality of life by making your body work better, and interrupting certain nerves from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Kirkwood, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A licensed Kirkwood, MO physical therapist will guide through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With guided exercise, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be performed without pain, restoring 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 incorporates therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Kirkwood, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate your muscles and joints. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are better at treating pain than either treatment method used alone.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like Astym®, instead of their hands, to smooth out tissue and locate degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that increasingly more Kirkwood, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed soft tissue. This eases pain as it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the nutrient-rich blood flow to the affected body part.

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 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 do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Kirkwood, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement practices, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Kirkwood, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Kirkwood, MO, our goals are clear: to deliver positive client outcomes and help our patients get back to their best life. Whether you miss being able to run across the tennis court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Kirkwood, MO today or make an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.