Chronic Pain Treatment Maryknoll, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Maryknoll, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Maryknoll, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well the debilitating consequences it can have on your life. For some of us, the months or years we’ve dealt with it leads us to lose sight of how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily tasks like carrying in groceries, or the things we love most, whether that be sprinting down the field or picking up your kids.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy locations dedicated to helping our Maryknoll, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to our location nearest you or schedule an appointment for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

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 be constant or can come and go, can stay in one spot or radiate through your body, and can range from dull soreness to burning pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of American adults had 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 enjoy 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.

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damage somewhere in your body, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. In most cases, pain is due to an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as burns, cuts, broken bones, dental work, or surgery. It can last 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 despite the fact that, structurally, it has 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 diseases that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become damaged or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that lead to lower back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults will deal with back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at work, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they push up against bones, your spine, or other tissue.
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 — Sometimes, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

You can read our pointers for managing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many of our Maryknoll, MO patients tell us that they have tried all of them and more and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy is the treatment that finally gets them relief and returns them to a pain-free daily life.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Maryknoll, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic adjustments, yoga, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You are welcome to come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to better understand why you might be experiencing chronic pain. We’ll ask you questions to better understand how we can help you. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? When does it come on? When does it get better? How is limiting you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll form a team with you and your physician to design a tailor-made course of treatment aimed at getting you back to the things you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Helping you reach the best possible mobility relieves pain and enhances your daily life by making your body work better, and interrupting any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Maryknoll, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety related to your pain. A licensed Maryknoll, MO physical therapist will guide through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With guided exercise, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be carried out 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 the surrounding tissues. Your Maryknoll, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely move your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are better at treating pain than either treatment method used alone.

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 technique that is becoming more popular among Maryknoll, MO physical therapist. 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 region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes over the body part that’s causing you pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can have a considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Maryknoll, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Maryknoll, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Maryknoll, MO, our objectives are simple: to deliver positive client outcomes and help our patients return to to their best life. Whether you want to be 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 Maryknoll, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.