Chronic Pain Treatment Murphy, MO | Physical Therapists Near Murphy

Chronic Pain Treatment in Murphy, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Murphy, MO. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain knows the debilitating consequences it can have on your life. For some of us, it goes on so long that we lose sight of what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily tasks like carrying in groceries, or the activities we love best, whether that be dominating your local pick-up league or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical therapy and rehabilitation locations dedicated to helping our Murphy, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been proven to work. To get back to a pain-free daily life, reach out to our location nearest 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 12 weeks, which is generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can be localized or hit different muscles or joints, and can be anything from stiffness to searing, intense pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 one out of five adults nationwide dealt with chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain limits work or life activities. Anyone who suffers from frequent pain symptoms 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 cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

What’s Behind 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 at once, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as being hit with something, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily identifiable. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain despite the fact that, structurally, it has healed . In other cases, 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, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions that cause joint pain — The cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become irritated or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that cause low 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, repetitive motions at a job that requires physical exertion, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they bother 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 — 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 tips for relieving chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Murphy, MO patients have felt like they tried all of them and more and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward meaningful pain relief and getting back to a pain-free daily life.

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

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Murphy, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic adjustments, massage, and consistent exercise. Studies show that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You are welcome to come to any Axes location in the Murphy area for a free screening to better understand why you might be experiencing chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. 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 develop a personalized course of treatment aimed at getting you back a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve optimal mobility relieves pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to work 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 the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Murphy, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A qualified Murphy, MO physical therapist can lead you through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. With these exercises, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be performed without pain, rebuilding how your brain processes messages. 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 encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Murphy, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either technique used by itself.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new tool that is becoming more popular among Murphy, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and encourages the nutrient-rich blood flow to the affected area.

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 awakens nerve cells that stop 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 have a significant positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Murphy, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Murphy, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Murphy, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient experiences and help our patients return to to the activities they love. Whether you want to be able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Murphy, MO today or schedule an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.