Chronic Pain Treatment South County, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in South County, MO

Chronic pain treatment in South County, MO. Anyone who has suffered from chronic pain knows how hard it is to express how much it limits you. Sometimes, the months or years we’ve dealt with it leads us to lose sight of how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing basic activities like walking up the stairs, or the things we love most, whether that be flying down the court or playing with your kids.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy locations committed to helping our South County, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been proven to work. To get back to the activities you love most, reach out to the location nearest you or make an appointment for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after three months, which is how long it takes most people and conditions to heal. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can be localized or hit different body parts, and can change in severity from stiffness to burning pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of adults nationwide suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” affects how somebody can work or enjoy other activities. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain impacts quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. 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. Often, pain is due to a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as being hit with something, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a moment to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily identifiable. 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, there is no discernible 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 cartilage, tendons, and ligaments 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 lead to low 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, repetitive motions at a job that requires physical exertion, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they grow and touch 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.

You can read our tips for easing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our South County, MO patients tell us that they have 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 things that are most important to them.

Chronic Pain Treatment South County, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near South County

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in South County, MO, including medication, chiropractic adjustments, massage, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into your treatment plan is incredibly effective for relieving chronic pain. You can come to any of our 15 locations for a free screening to learn why you might be experiencing chronic pain. We’ll get to know you and your pain better. How often do you have pain? Does anything make it better or worse? How is limiting you in your daily life? After your screening, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to design a tailor-made course of treatment aimed at returning you a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy helps by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible mobility eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body work better, and disrupting certain nerves from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in South County, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only reduces pain but eases any depression, stress, and/or anxiety related to your pain. A licensed South County, MO physical therapist can help you perform exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With these exercises, we can re-train your brain to accept certain movements and positions without pain, restoring how your brain processes messages. 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 muscles and joints. Your South County, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either technique 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 technique that is becoming more popular among South County, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate irritated soft tissue. This eases pain as it encourages the body to start to heal itself and stimulates the nutrient-rich blood flow to the affected area.

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 block the transmission of pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to cope with it can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in South County, MO. We’ll help you learn the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other services we offer in South County, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment South County, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near South County

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in South County, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to achieve positive patient experiences and help our patients return to to the things they love doing most. Whether you miss being able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in South County, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.