Chronic Pain Treatment Mackenzie, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Mackenzie, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Mackenzie, MO. Anyone who has suffered from chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. Sometimes, 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 activities like carrying in groceries, or the things we love best, whether that be flying down the court or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of 15 physical therapy treatment centers devoted to helping our Mackenzie, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to the activities you love most, reach out to 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 3-6 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 be localized or radiate through your body, and can range from stiffness to burning pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of U.S. adults dealt with chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% 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 perform other activities. Anyone who suffers from pain frequently will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain impacts quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

Why Do I Have Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, occurs when nerves called nociceptors detect damage somewhere in your body, and send a signal through your spinal cord up to your brain. Often, pain is due to trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as being hit with something, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts 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 even after it’s healed . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or happens as our bodies weaken with age. 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 inflamed or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
Numerous different conditions that lead to low back pain — Up to 84% of adults will deal with back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at a job that requires physical exertion, 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 pain that affects your muscles and joints throughout your body.
Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — In some cases, pain does not occur for a physical reason, 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 managing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Mackenzie, MO patients tell us that they have tried all of them and more and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy is the treatment that finally gets them relief and returns them to a pain-free daily life.

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

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Mackenzie, MO, including medication, chiropractic adjustments, yoga, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You are welcome to come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to learn what might be causing your 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 tandem with you and your physician to come up with a personalized course of treatment aimed at getting you back to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy helps by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal mobility eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body function better, and disrupting certain nerves from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Mackenzie, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only alleviates pain but eases any psychological stress related to your pain. A licensed Mackenzie, MO physical therapist can guide through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, rebuilding your brain’s trust in the rest of your body. 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 involves therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Mackenzie, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently move soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either technique used by itself.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new tool that is becoming more popular among Mackenzie, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In doing so, 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 over the body part that’s causing you pain. It sends low-level electrical currents to release endorphins and awakens nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving pain signals.

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 Mackenzie, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement practices, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Mackenzie, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Mackenzie, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to achieve positive client outcomes and help people return to to the activities they love. Whether you miss being 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 Mackenzie, MO today or request an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.