Chronic Pain Treatment Mehlville, MO | Physical Therapists Near Mehlville

Chronic Pain Treatment in Mehlville, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Mehlville, 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 causes us to forget how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing basic tasks like walking up the stairs, or the things we love most, whether that be flying down the field or playing with your kids.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy centers committed to helping our Mehlville, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. To get back to the activities you love most, call the location nearest you or contact us online 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 be constant or can come and go, can stay in one spot or hit different muscles or joints, and can change in severity from stiffness to searing, intense pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of adults nationwide had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” 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 Causes Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. In most cases, pain is caused by a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as an injury, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a few minutes 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 despite the fact that, structurally, it has healed . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or occurs as our bodies wear down as we age. Sometimes, there is no perceptible cause for someone’s chronic pain. 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 inflamed or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
Numerous different conditions that lead to lower 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 disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can cause 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 — Sometimes, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but because there is an issue in the nervous system, or because of psychological stress.

You can check out our tips for easing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our Mehlville, MO patients tell us that they have tried everything and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward lasting pain relief and getting back to a pain-free daily life.

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

Why Is Physical Therapy in Mehlville, MO a Great Option For Chronic Pain Treatment?

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Mehlville, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You are welcome to come to any Axes location in the Mehlville area 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. 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? From there, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to come up with a customized course of treatment aimed at returning you to the things you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve the best possible movement health relieves pain and improves your quality of life by allowing your body to work better, and breaking up any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, your age, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Mehlville, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A licensed Mehlville, MO physical therapist can lead you through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. 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 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 Mehlville, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either treatment method used alone.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specially designed tools, like HawkGrips®, instead of their hands, to improve tissue alignment and locate degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new technique that increasingly more Mehlville, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed soft tissue. In doing so, it encourages the body to start to heal itself and stimulates 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 sends low-level electrical currents to release endorphins and awakens 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 significant positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Mehlville, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement techniques, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Mehlville, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Mehlville, MO, our objectives are clear: to achieve positive patient experiences and help our patients 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 walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Mehlville, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.