Chronic Pain Treatment in St. Ann, MO

Chronic pain treatment in St. Ann, MO. Anyone who has suffered from chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. For some of us, the months or years we’ve dealt with it causes us to lose sight of how good we’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily tasks like walking up the stairs, or the activities we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local pickleball league or picking up your children.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy locations committed to helping our St. Ann, MO patients find lasting relief through personalized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, call our location nearest you or schedule an appointment for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than three 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 muscles or joints, and can be anything from stiffness to searing, intense pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of U.S. adults dealt with chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, which is pain that occurs on more days than not that 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 significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is caused by a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as an injury, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to months while the injury heals.

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 . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or occurs as our bodies wear down as we age. 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 damaged or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
• Numerous different conditions that cause lower back pain — Up to 84% of adults will deal with back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at a job that requires physical exertion, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can lead to pain when they bother 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, 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.

You can read our tips for easing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many people we see in St. Ann, 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.

How Do Physical Therapists in St. Ann, MO Help With Chronic Pain Treatment?

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in St. Ann, MO, including medication, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage therapy, and consistent exercise. Studies show 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? 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 come up with a personalized course of treatment aimed at returning you to the activities you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal movement health eases pain and improves your quality of life by allowing your body to function better, and breaking up certain nerves from sending pain messages to your brain. 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 St. Ann, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only reduces pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A qualified St. Ann, MO physical therapist will lead you through exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With guided exercise, 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. 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 encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your St. Ann, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are better at treating pain than either treatment method used alone.

Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization is a form of 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 treatment method that is becoming more popular among St. Ann, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed 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 affected body part.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes over the body part that’s causing you pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and awakens nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to cope with it can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in St. Ann, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in St. Ann, MO include:

• 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
• Geriatric Physical Therapy
• Injury Rehabilitation

Call Axes Physical Therapy For Your Chronic Pain Treatment in St. Ann, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Ann, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to achieve positive patient experiences and help our patients get back to the activities they love. Whether you want to be able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in St. Ann, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.