Chronic Pain Treatment Oakland, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Oakland, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Oakland, 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. For some of us, the months or years we’ve dealt with it leads us to forget how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily activities like carrying in groceries, or the things we love most, whether that be dominating your local pickleball league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical and occupational therapy locations devoted to helping our Oakland, MO patients find lasting relief through customized 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 most convenient for you you or contact us online for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 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 hit different body parts, and can change in severity from stiffness to agonizing 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 with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain 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 trouble sleeping.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damaged tissue, and send a signal through your spinal cord up to your brain. In most cases, pain is due to trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as falling, dental work, or surgery. It can last 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 . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, 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 and other conditions that cause joint pain — The soft tissue in our joints can become irritated or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
A variety of conditions that cause 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 push up against 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, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but because there is an issue in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

There are many pointers for relieving chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Oakland, MO patients have felt like they tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy is the treatment that finally gets them relief and returns them to the things that are most important to them.

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

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of means in Oakland, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic care, massage, and consistent exercise. Studies show that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You can come to any Axes location in the Oakland area for a free screening to learn why you might be suffering from chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? What makes it worse? What makes it 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 activities you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal movement health relieves pain and improves your quality of life by making your body function better, and breaking up certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. 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 Oakland, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A professional Oakland, MO physical therapist will guide through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With these exercises, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be performed without pain, restoring how your brain processes messages. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do at home.

Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization

Manual therapy incorporates therapeutic touch to encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your Oakland, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely put pressure on 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 Graston®, 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 is becoming more popular among Oakland, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in damaged muscles and connective tissue. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the flow of blood to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes where the pain is located. It sends low-level electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Oakland, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement practices, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Oakland, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Oakland, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient outcomes and help our patients return to to the things they love doing most. Whether you want to be able to run across the tennis court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Oakland, MO today or make an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.