Chronic Pain Treatment in Sunset Hills, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Sunset Hills, 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’re capable of feeling. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing basic tasks like walking up the stairs, or the things we love best, whether that be dominating your local pick-up league or working in the garden.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical therapy and rehabilitation locations dedicated to helping our Sunset Hills, MO patients find lasting relief through personalized chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been demonstrated to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, call the location most convenient for you you or contact us online for successful chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

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

According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of U.S. adults had 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 higher medical expenses. It can also cause significant mental health issues and insomnia.

What’s Behind Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. In most cases, pain is caused by an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a known, underlying cause such as an injury, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a few minutes to several weeks.

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 an illness, or occurs as our bodies weaken with age. 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 cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become damaged or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
• A variety of conditions that cause lower back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Causes can be poor posture or technique, repetitive motions at work, sciatica, or disc injuries that affect the nerves in the spinal column.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they push up against 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, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but because there is an issue in the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

There are many tips for relieving chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many people we see in Sunset Hills, 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 Sunset Hills, MO Help With Chronic Pain Treatment?

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of means in Sunset Hills, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic care, yoga, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You are welcome to visit any Axes location in the Sunset Hills 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. How often do you have pain? When does it come on? When does it get better? How is limiting you in your daily life? From there, we’ll form a team with you and your physician to come up with a customized 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 mobility eases pain and improves your quality of life by allowing your body to work better, and interrupting any signals to your brain that something may be wrong. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, your age, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Sunset Hills, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only reduces pain but helps with any depression, stress, and/or anxiety related to your pain. A qualified Sunset Hills, 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 achieved without pain, rebuilding 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 encourage your body’s natural healing process and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Sunset Hills, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either treatment method used by itself.

With instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, physical therapists use specialized tools, like HawkGrips®, 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 treatment method that is becoming more popular among Sunset Hills, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate irritated soft tissue. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and stimulates the flow of blood to the region.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes where the pain is located. It sends low-level electrical currents to release endorphins and awakens nerve cells that block the transmission of pain messages.

Patient Education

Understanding why you’re experiencing pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Sunset Hills, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement practices, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other services we offer in Sunset Hills, 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 Sunset Hills, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in Sunset Hills, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to achieve positive client outcomes and help people get back to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Sunset Hills, MO today or schedule an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.