Chronic Pain Treatment in Weldon Spring, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Weldon Spring, MO. Anyone who has lived with chronic pain knows the debilitating effect it can have on your life. Sometimes, the months or years we’ve dealt with it leads us to forget what it feels like to live a pain-free life. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably completing basic tasks like carrying in groceries, or the activities we love most, whether that be sprinting down the court or painting bowls of fruit.

Axes Physical Therapy is a collection of provider-owned physical and occupational therapy centers dedicated to helping our Weldon Spring, MO patients find meaningful relief through customized and evidence-backed chronic pain treatment. To get back to the activities you love most, reach out to our location most convenient for you you or contact us online for effective chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that doesn’t go away after 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 radiate through your body, and can be anything from dull soreness to agonizing pain.

According to the CDC, in 2019 one out of five American adults suffered from chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those with chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is persistent pain limits work or life 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 significant economic costs. It can also cause significant mental health issues and trouble sleeping.

Why Do People Experience Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, occurs when nerves called nociceptors detect damaged tissue, and send a signal from that body part to your brain. Often, pain is caused by a specific incident or illness. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, underlying 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. In some cases there may be an injury that hurts even after it’s healed . In other cases, it’s caused by a medical condition, or degenerative disease. Sometimes, there is no discernible 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 damaged or wear down over time or due to an injury, causing joint pain.
• A variety of conditions that lead to low 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 a variety of disc injuries.
• Cancer pain — Tumors can cause pain when they push up against tissue, nerves, or organs.
• Fibromyalgia — While an exact cause isn’t yet known, 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 because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

There are many pointers for managing chronic pain, and while many can lead to greater comfort, many of our Weldon Spring, MO patients tell us that they have tried everything and still can’t find relief. Often, physical therapy becomes their path toward meaningful pain relief and getting back to a pain-free daily life.

How Do Physical Therapists in Weldon Spring, MO Help With Chronic Pain Treatment?

Chronic pain can be treated through a variety of methods in Weldon Spring, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, chiropractic adjustments, massage, and consistent exercise. Research demonstrates that making physical therapy a part of your treatment plan can lead to significant improvement. You are welcome to come to 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? Does anything make it better or worse? How is limiting you in your daily life? From there, we’ll work in tandem with you and your doctor to develop a personalized course of treatment aimed at returning you a comfortable daily life.

Physical therapy helps by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of optimal movement health eases pain and improves your quality of life by making your body work 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 your desired activity level, your treatment plan in Weldon Spring, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise increases endorphins, your body’s natural, feel-good hormone, which not only reduces pain but helps with any depression, stress, and/or anxiety caused by your pain. A licensed Weldon Spring, MO physical therapist will 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. 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 Weldon Spring, MO physical therapist will use their hands to safely manipulate soft tissue. Studies have shown that manual therapy and guided exercise together are better at treating pain than either technique 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 pinpoint degenerative tissue and soft tissue restrictions.

Dry Needling

Trigger point dry needling is a relatively new treatment method that more and more Weldon Spring, 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 stimulates the body’s “healing mode” and encourages the nutrient-rich blood flow to the affected area.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes on the skin near where you are experiencing pain. 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 cope with it can have a significant positive effect on your chronic pain treatment in Weldon Spring, MO. We’ll teach you appropriate posture and movement practices, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like how to keep a healthy diet.

Other conditions we treat in Weldon Spring, 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 Weldon Spring, MO

At Axes Physical Therapy in Weldon Spring, MO, we do what we do for simple reasons: to deliver positive patient outcomes and help people get back to the activities they love. Whether you miss being able to run across the tennis court like you used to, or just want to walk up the stairs pain-free, speak to a physical therapist in Weldon Spring, MO today or make an appointment online for lasting chronic pain treatment.