Chronic Pain Treatment in New Melle, MO
Chronic pain treatment in New Melle, 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 what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily tasks like doing household chores, or the things we love best, whether that be dominating your local softball league or picking up your kids.
Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical therapy treatment centers dedicated to helping our New Melle, MO patients find meaningful relief through custom-tailored and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, call the location nearest you or contact us online for effective chronic pain treatment.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 3-6 months, which is generally considered to be the “normal” healing period. The pain can occur every day or every few days, can be localized or radiate through your body, and can change in severity from dull soreness to searing, intense pain.
Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of American adults had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those with 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 impacts quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and insomnia.
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 an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as stubbing your toe, dental work, or surgery. It can last 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 even after it’s healed . Other times, it’s caused by an illness, 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, 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 joint pain.
- A variety of conditions that cause low back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults will deal with back pain at some point in their lives. 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 cause pain when they push up against tissue, nerves, or organs.
- Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, this refers to widespread muscle pain and tenderness.
- Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — Sometimes, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.
You can read our tips for managing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many people we see in New Melle, MO have felt like they tried everything and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy is the strategy that finally gets them relief and returns them to a pain-free daily life.
Why Is Physical Therapy in New Melle, MO a Great Option For Chronic Pain Treatment?
There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in New Melle, MO, including medication, chiropractic care, massage, 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 visit any Axes location in the New Melle area for a free screening to better understand why you might be suffering from 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 personalized course of treatment aimed at getting you back a pain-free 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 making your body work better, and breaking up certain nerves from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in New Melle, MO may include:
Guided Exercise
Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety caused by your pain. A professional New Melle, MO physical therapist can 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 achieved 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 New Melle, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely manipulate your muscles and joints. Studies have shown that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain 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 treatment method that is becoming more popular among New Melle, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in damaged soft tissue. This eases pain as it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the flow of nutrients to the affected area.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. It sends low-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals.
Patient Education
Understanding the cause of your pain and how to cope with it can have a significant positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in New Melle, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement techniques, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.
Other services we offer in New Melle, MO include:
- Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
- Sprain and Strain Treatment
- Geriatric Physical Therapy
- Injury Rehabilitation
- Pain Management Services
- TMJ Treatment
- Herniated Disc Treatment
- Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment
- Running Injury
Call Axes Physical Therapy For Your Chronic Pain Treatment in New Melle, MO
At Axes Physical Therapy in New Melle, MO, our goals are clear: to achieve positive patient experiences and help our patients get back to their best life. Whether you miss being able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to carry the groceries in pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in New Melle, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.