Chronic Pain Treatment in Troy, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Troy, MO. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain knows how hard it is to express the effects it has on your daily life. Sometimes, it goes on so long that we forget what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily tasks like doing household chores, or the things we love doing the most, whether that be flying down the field or being able to properly look after your children.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy centers committed to helping our Troy, MO patients achieve positive outcomes through customized chronic pain treatment plans, built on techniques that have been proven to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to the location nearest you or make an appointment for effective 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 occur every day or every few days, can stay in one spot or hit different muscles or joints, and can range from aching to searing, intense 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 with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Anyone who suffers from pain frequently will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain affects quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

What Causes Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. In most cases, pain is due to trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs suddenly, usually because of a known, root cause such as burns, cuts, broken bones, 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 after the tissue is repaired . In other cases, it’s caused by a medical condition, 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 soft tissue in our joints can become irritated or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing joint pain.
• Numerous different conditions that lead to 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, wear and tear 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 widespread muscle pain and tenderness.
• 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.

There are many suggestions for relieving chronic pain, and while many are effective, many people we see in Troy, MO have felt like they tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward meaningful pain relief and getting back to the activities they love.

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of modalities in Troy, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic care, massage therapy, and regular 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 better understand what might be causing your chronic pain. We’ll ask you questions to better understand how we can help you. How often do you have pain? When does it come on? When does it get better? How does your chronic pain affect you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll work in concert with you and your doctor to develop a tailor-made treatment plan aimed at returning you to the things you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Helping you achieve the best possible mobility relieves pain and improves your quality of life by making your body work better, and disrupting certain nerves from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, your age, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Troy, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good hormone, which not only eases pain but eases related symptoms like stress and depression. A professional Troy, MO physical therapist will help you perform exercises aimed at improving your mobility without causing more pain or injury. With guided exercise, 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 promote healing and relaxation of the surrounding tissues. Your Troy, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either treatment method used alone.

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

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. It sends low-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that block the transmission of pain signals.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to deal with it in your daily life can do wonders for your chronic pain treatment in Troy, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Troy, MO include:

• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• 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

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Troy, MO, our goals are clear: to deliver positive client outcomes and help people return to to their best life. Whether you miss being able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to carry the groceries in pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Troy, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.