Chronic Pain Treatment Lemay, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Lemay, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Lemay, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how hard it is to express the effects it has on your daily 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 performing basic activities like doing household chores, or the things we love most, whether that be sprinting down the field or being able to properly look after your grandchildren.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy locations devoted to helping our Lemay, MO patients find lasting relief through personalized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, call the location nearest you or make an appointment for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

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 change in severity from dull soreness to agonizing pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 one out of five U.S. adults dealt with chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those with chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, which is pain that occurs on more days than not that affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain reduces 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, generally speaking, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damaged tissue, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. In most cases, pain is caused by trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as burns, cuts, broken bones, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, people can experience chronic pain for several reasons. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts after the tissue is repaired . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, or occurs as our bodies wear down as we age. Sometimes, there is no observable 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 inflamed 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 eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at work, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they bother bones, your spine, or other tissue.
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 pointers for managing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many people we see in Lemay, 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 activities they love.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Lemay, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, yoga, 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 come to any Axes location in the Lemay area for a free screening to better understand what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? What makes it worse? What makes it 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 develop a customized treatment plan aimed at returning you a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal mobility eases pain and improves your quality of life by making your body function better, and interrupting any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Lemay, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only alleviates pain but eases any psychological stress related to your pain. A professional Lemay, MO physical therapist can guide through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With these exercises, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be carried out 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 incorporates therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Lemay, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently move your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is more effective than either technique used by itself.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that is becoming more popular among Lemay, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in damaged muscles and connective tissue. 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 sends low-level electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to cope with it can have a considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Lemay, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Lemay, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Lemay, MO, our goals are simple: to achieve positive client outcomes and help our patients get back to their best life. Whether you want to be able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Lemay, MO today or make an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.