Chronic Pain Treatment in Shrewsbury, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Shrewsbury, MO. Anyone who has suffered from chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. For some of us, it goes on so long that we forget how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily tasks like carrying in groceries, or the activities we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local softball league or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical therapy treatment centers devoted to helping our Shrewsbury, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized 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 request an appointment for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 12 weeks, 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 be localized or hit different body parts, and can range from stiffness to searing, intense pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 one out of five American adults suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those with chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Anyone who suffers from frequent pain symptoms will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain reduces quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

What’s Behind Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damage somewhere in your body, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. Often, pain is due to an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as being hit with something, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily identifiable. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts after the tissue is repaired . 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 inflamed or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
• Numerous different conditions that lead to lower back pain — Up to 84% of 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 lead to pain when they push up against bones, your spine, or other tissue.
• 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 dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

There are many pointers for managing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many people we see in Shrewsbury, MO 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 activities they love.

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of means in Shrewsbury, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic adjustments, massage, and regular exercise. Studies show that including physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You are welcome to come to any Axes location in the Shrewsbury area for a free screening to better understand what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll ask you questions to better understand how we can help you. Do you experience pain every day? Most days? When does it come on? When does it get better? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After your screening, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to design a personalized treatment plan aimed at getting you back a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible movement health eases pain and improves your quality of life by making your body work 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 the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Shrewsbury, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only alleviates pain but helps with any psychological stress related to your pain. A qualified Shrewsbury, MO physical therapist will help you perform exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, 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. 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 encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Shrewsbury, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either technique used by itself.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specially designed tools, like Graston®, instead of their hands, to smooth out tissue and identify degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new technique that increasingly more Shrewsbury, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in irritated soft tissue. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and encourages the flow of blood to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes over the body part that’s causing you pain. It sends low-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that stop your brain from receiving 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 Shrewsbury, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement practices, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Shrewsbury, 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 Shrewsbury, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in Shrewsbury, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive client experiences 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 walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Shrewsbury, MO today or schedule an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.