Chronic Pain Treatment in Valley Park, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Valley Park, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well 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 completing daily tasks like carrying in groceries, or the things we love best, whether that be flying down the field or being able to properly look after your grandchildren.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy centers committed to helping our Valley Park, MO patients find meaningful relief through custom-tailored chronic pain treatment plans, based on techniques that have been proven to work. If you’re finally ready to move on from chronic pain, reach out to the location most convenient for you you or contact us online for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Type of Pain is Considered “Chronic”?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 3-6 months, which is how long it typically takes pain to go away after an injury, surgery, or illness. The pain can occur every day or every few days, can stay in one spot or radiate through your body, and can be anything from aching to burning pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 one out of five adults nationwide 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 affects quality of life and leads to significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

Why Do I Have Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, occurs when nerves called nociceptors detect damaged tissue, and send a signal through your spinal cord up to your brain. In most cases, pain is due to an injury, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a discernible, root cause such as stubbing your toe, dental work, or surgery. It can last for anywhere from a few minutes to months while the injury heals.

By contrast, the causes of chronic pain aren’t always easily known. 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 happens 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, bursitis, tendinitis, and other conditions that cause joint pain — The soft tissue 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 lead to low back pain — Up to 84% of adults will deal with back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at work, sciatica, or a variety of disc injuries.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they push up against 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 — Sometimes, pain does not occur for a physical reason, but rather it’s caused by the nervous system, or because of depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

There are many pointers for managing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many people we see in Valley Park, MO tell us that they have tried all of them and more and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy is the treatment that finally gets them relief and returns them to the activities they love.

How Do Physical Therapists in Valley Park, MO Help With Chronic Pain Treatment?

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Valley Park, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, chiropractic care, massage, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that incorporating physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You can visit any Axes location in the Valley Park area for a free screening to better understand why you might be suffering from 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 form a team with you and your physician to develop a customized treatment plan aimed at returning you a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and flexibility. Helping you achieve optimal mobility eases pain and improves your quality of life by allowing your body to function better, and disrupting certain body parts 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 Valley Park, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise boosts your body’s production of endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but helps with related symptoms like stress and depression. A licensed Valley Park, MO physical therapist will lead you through exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be carried out 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 the surrounding tissues. Your Valley Park, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently manipulate your muscles and joints. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are more effective than either technique used by itself.

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 Valley Park, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to gently create small tears or rips in inflamed muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In doing so, it stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the nutrient-rich blood flow to the region.

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 stimulates nerve cells that stop your brain from receiving pain signals.

Patient Education

Understanding the cause of your pain and how to cope with it can have a considerable positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Valley Park, MO. We’ll teach you the best way to sit, stand, and move, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Valley Park, MO include:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Valley Park, MO, our objectives are simple: to deliver positive client outcomes and help our patients return to to their best life. Whether you want to be able to run across the pickleball court like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Valley Park, MO today or schedule an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.