Chronic Pain Treatment in Oakville, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Oakville, MO. Anyone who has had to deal with chronic pain knows how hard it is to express the effects it has on your daily life. For some of us, it goes on so long that we forget how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily activities like carrying in groceries, or the activities we love most, whether that be flying down the field or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical and occupational therapy centers dedicated to helping our Oakville, MO patients find meaningful relief 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 our location most convenient for you you or contact us online for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 3-6 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 radiate through your body, and can range from dull soreness to stinging pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 one out of five adults nationwide suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain limits work or life activities. Anyone who suffers from pain frequently will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain affects quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damaged tissue, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. In most cases, pain is caused by a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as falling, 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 even after it’s 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 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.
• A variety of conditions that cause lower back pain — Up to 84% of adults suffer from back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions 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, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but rather it’s caused by 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 lead to greater comfort, many of our Oakville, MO patients tell us that they have tried all of them and more and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy is the strategy that finally gets them relief and returns them to the activities they love.

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Oakville, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic care, yoga, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You can come to any of our 15 locations 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? What makes it worse? What makes it better? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? From there, we’ll work in tandem with you and your doctor to develop 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 flexibility. Helping you achieve the best possible movement health relieves pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to function better, and disrupting certain body parts 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 Oakville, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A licensed Oakville, MO physical therapist will lead you 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, rebuilding your brain’s trust in the rest of your body. 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 promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Oakville, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely manipulate soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either treatment method used by itself.

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 tool that is becoming more popular among Oakville, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in damaged 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 region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes where the pain is located. 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 do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Oakville, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement techniques, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Oakville, MO include:

• Physical Therapy Clinic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Oakville, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient experiences and help people get back to their best life. Whether you miss being 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 Oakville, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.