Chronic Pain Treatment Knob Lick, MO | Physical Therapists Near Knob Lick

Chronic Pain Treatment in Knob Lick, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Knob Lick, 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 forget how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily activities like walking up the stairs, or the things we love best, whether that be sprinting down the court or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical therapy and rehabilitation centers committed to helping our Knob Lick, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, built on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to the location most convenient for you you or contact us online for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 3-6 months, which is how long it typically takes pain to go away after an injury, surgery, or illness. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can stay in one spot or hit different muscles or joints, and can range from stiffness to stinging pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of adults nationwide had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is pain that occurs on more days than not that limits work or life activities. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain affects quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

What’s Behind 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 suddenly, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as an injury, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a moment to several weeks.

By contrast, people can experience chronic pain for several reasons. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain even after it’s healed . Other times, it’s caused by an illness, 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 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 joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that lead to lower back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults will deal with back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at a physically demanding job, 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 an exact cause isn’t yet known, this refers to pain you feel in your muscles all over your body.
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.

There are many suggestions for managing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Knob Lick, MO patients 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 the activities they love.

Chronic Pain Treatment Knob Lick, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near Knob Lick

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Knob Lick, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic care, massage, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You are welcome to visit any of our 15 locations for a free screening to learn 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 does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to design a tailor-made course of treatment aimed at returning you to the things you love most.

Physical therapy helps by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve the best possible mobility eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body work better, and breaking up certain body parts 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 Knob Lick, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A qualified Knob Lick, MO physical therapist can lead you through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With guided exercise, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, restoring 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 encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your Knob Lick, 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 pinpoint degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new tool that increasingly more Knob Lick, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate irritated soft tissue. This eases pain as it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and stimulates the flow of blood to the region.

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 signals.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to cope with it can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Knob Lick, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Knob Lick, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment Knob Lick, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near Knob Lick

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Knob Lick, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive client experiences and help people get back to their best life. Whether you want to be 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 Knob Lick, MO today or make an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.