Chronic Pain Treatment in Pinckney, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Pinckney, 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, it goes on so long that we forget what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing basic tasks like carrying in groceries, or the activities we love most, whether that be dominating your local softball league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical therapy treatment centers committed to helping our Pinckney, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. To get back to a pain-free daily life, reach out to our location most convenient for you you or request an appointment for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 12 weeks, 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 range from stiffness to stinging pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 one out of five 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 pain that occurs on more days than not that 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 reduces quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

Why Do I Have 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 caused by an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as falling, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts after the tissue is repaired . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, or degenerative disease. 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 soft tissue in our joints can become irritated or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
• A variety of conditions that cause lower 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 physically demanding job, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they bother bones, your spine, or other tissue.
• Fibromyalgia — While experts are still trying to understand the exact cause of fibromyalgia, this refers to pain you feel in your muscles all over your body.
• Neurogenic pain and psychogenic pain — In some cases, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of psychological stress.

There are many tips for easing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many people we see in Pinckney, MO have felt like they tried all of them and more and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy is the treatment that finally gets them relief and returns them to the activities they love.

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Pinckney, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic care, massage, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You can visit any of our 15 locations for a free screening to learn what might be causing your 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 your screening, we’ll form a team with you and your physician to design a customized treatment plan aimed at returning you a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Helping you reach the best possible mobility relieves pain and enhances your daily life by making your body function better, and breaking up any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Pinckney, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only eases pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A professional Pinckney, MO physical therapist will help you perform 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 carried out without pain, restoring your brain’s trust in the rest of your body. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do at home.

Manual Therapy and Soft Tissue Mobilization

Manual therapy involves therapeutic touch to promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Pinckney, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate your muscles and joints. Studies have shown that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is more effective than either treatment method used alone.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new technique that more and more Pinckney, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate damaged muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and stimulates the nutrient-rich blood flow to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and awakens nerve cells that stop your brain from receiving pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to cope with it can have a considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Pinckney, MO. We’ll teach you 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 Pinckney, MO include:

• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
• Migraine Relief
• Sprain and Strain Treatment

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Pinckney, MO, our objectives are simple: to achieve positive patient outcomes and help people return to to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to run across the tennis court like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Pinckney, MO today or make an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.