Chronic Pain Treatment St. Genevieve, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in St. Genevieve, MO

Chronic pain treatment in St. Genevieve, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well the debilitating consequences it can have on your life. Sometimes, it goes on so long that we lose sight of how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing daily activities like doing household chores, or the things we love doing the most, whether that be dominating your local pickleball league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of provider-owned physical therapy treatment locations committed to helping our St. Genevieve, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, built on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. To get back to a pain-free daily life, 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 doesn’t go away after three months, 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 be anything from dull soreness to burning pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 almost a quarter of adults nationwide suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those who experienced chronic pain) had “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 affects quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and insomnia.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, occurs when nerves called nociceptors perceive damage somewhere in your body, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. In most cases, pain is caused by a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as stubbing your toe, 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. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain even after it’s healed . In other cases, it’s caused by an illness, or occurs 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 inflamed or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
Numerous different conditions that lead to lower back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults will deal with back pain eventually. 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 cause pain when they grow and touch tissue, nerves, or organs.
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, 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 check out our suggestions for relieving chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our St. Genevieve, MO patients 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 things that are most important to them.

Chronic Pain Treatment St. Genevieve, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near St. Genevieve

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in St. Genevieve, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, massage therapy, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You are welcome to visit any Axes location in the St. Genevieve area for a free screening to better understand 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? After our evaluation, we’ll form a team with you and your doctor to come up with a tailor-made course of treatment aimed at returning you a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you reach the best possible mobility eases pain and enhances your daily life by making your body function better, and interrupting 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 St. Genevieve, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only alleviates pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A licensed St. Genevieve, MO physical therapist can help you perform exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing further pain or injury. 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. 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 incorporates therapeutic touch to encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of muscles and joints. Your St. Genevieve, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely move soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either treatment method used alone.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that increasingly more St. Genevieve, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate irritated 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 affected area.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes where the pain is located. It sends low-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of 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. Genevieve, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement techniques, as well as healthy lifestyle suggestions like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in St. Genevieve, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment St. Genevieve, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near St. Genevieve

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Genevieve, MO, our objectives are simple: to achieve positive client experiences and help our patients get back 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 carry the groceries in without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in St. Genevieve, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.