Chronic Pain Treatment Webster Groves, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Webster Groves, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Webster Groves, MO. If you suffer from chronic pain, you know all too well how limiting it can be. For some of us, the months or years we’ve dealt with it leads us to lose sight of how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing daily activities like carrying in groceries, or the things we love best, whether that be dominating your local flag football league or playing with your grandchildren.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of 15 physical therapy treatment locations committed to helping our Webster Groves, 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 nearest you or contact us online for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

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 range from aching to agonizing pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 20.4% of U.S. adults suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (over a third of those who experienced chronic pain) suffered from “high-impact” chronic pain, defined as pain that, on “most days” or “every day,” affects how somebody can work or enjoy other activities. Chronic pain doesn’t just hurt you physically. Chronic pain impacts quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

What’s Behind Chronic Pain?

Pain, in general, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is due to trauma, an infection, or other medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs at once, usually because of a discernible, underlying cause such as burns, cuts, broken bones, dental work, or surgery. The pain lasts for anywhere from a moment to several weeks.

By contrast, people can experience chronic pain for several reasons. Sometimes an injury continues to cause pain despite the fact that, structurally, it has healed . Other times, it’s caused by a medical condition, or happens as our bodies weaken with 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 inflamed or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing chronic pain in the affected joint.
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 lead to pain when they grow and touch other parts inside your body.
Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, 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 depression, anxiety, and/or stress.

There are many suggestions for managing chronic pain, and while many are effective, many of our Webster Groves, MO patients have felt like they tried all of them and more and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward meaningful pain relief and getting back to the activities they love.

Chronic Pain Treatment Webster Groves, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near Webster Groves

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

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Webster Groves, MO, including medication, chiropractic care, yoga, and regular exercise. Research demonstrates that including physical therapy into 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 is limiting you in your daily life? After our evaluation, we’ll work in concert with you and your physician to develop a personalized treatment plan aimed at returning you a pain-free daily life.

Physical therapy helps by increasing your strength, balance, posture, and range of motion. Helping you achieve optimal movement health eases pain and improves your quality of life by allowing your body to work better, and interrupting certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the nature of your chronic pain, how old you are, and your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Webster Groves, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but helps with any depression, stress, and/or anxiety you feel because of your pain. A professional Webster Groves, MO physical therapist can help you perform exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With guided exercise, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be achieved without pain, restoring how your brain processes messages. We’ll also show you light exercises you can do at home.

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 Webster Groves, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently put pressure on your muscles and joints. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is more effective than either technique used by itself.

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

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that is becoming more popular among Webster Groves, MO physical therapist. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles and connective tissue. 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 sends low-voltage electrical currents to release endorphins and stimulates nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving pain signals.

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 Webster Groves, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement practices, as well as healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Webster Groves, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment Webster Groves, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near Webster Groves

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Webster Groves, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient experiences and help our patients get back to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Webster Groves, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.