Chronic Pain Treatment Pevely, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Pevely, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Pevely, MO. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain knows how hard it is to express how much it limits you. 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 things we love best, whether that be flying down the court or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical and occupational therapy centers committed to helping our Pevely, MO patients find lasting 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, reach out to our location nearest you or make an appointment for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 3-6 months, 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 body parts, and can be anything from stiffness to searing, intense pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of American adults had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain reduces quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. In most cases, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a known, root cause such as falling, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a moment to several weeks.

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 . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, or happens as our bodies weaken with age. Sometimes, there is no observable 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 irritated or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing joint pain.
Numerous different conditions that cause lower back pain — Up to 84% of adults suffer from back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at a physically demanding job, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they grow and touch 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 because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of psychological stress.

There are many suggestions for managing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many people we see in Pevely, MO tell us that they have tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward lasting pain relief and getting back to the activities they love.

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

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of modalities in Pevely, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, yoga, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You are welcome to come to any of our 15 locations 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. How often do you have pain? Does anything make it better or worse? How is limiting 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 returning you a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy helps by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve the best possible mobility relieves pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to function better, and interrupting 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 Pevely, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only reduces pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A qualified Pevely, MO physical therapist can lead you through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, rebuilding your brain’s trust in the rest of your body. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do outside of our sessions.

Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization

Manual therapy incorporates therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Pevely, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either technique used alone.

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 increasingly more Pevely, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles and connective tissue. This eases pain as it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the flow of nutrients 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 signals.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Pevely, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement techniques, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Pevely, MO include:

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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Pevely, MO, our objectives are simple: to achieve positive client experiences and help people return to to the things they love doing most. 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 Pevely, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.