Chronic Pain Treatment Wilbur Park, MO

Chronic Pain Treatment in Wilbur Park, MO

Chronic pain treatment in Wilbur Park, MO. Anyone who has suffered from chronic pain knows how limiting it can be. Sometimes, the months or years we’ve dealt with it leads us to forget how good we used to feel. At it’s worse, the pain can keep us from comfortably performing basic activities like walking up the stairs, or the activities we love most, whether that be sprinting down the court or picking up your kids.

Axes Physical Therapy is a group of 15 physical and occupational therapy centers dedicated to helping our Wilbur Park, MO patients find lasting relief through customized 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 make an appointment for safe chronic pain treatment.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than three months, which is how long it typically takes pain to go away after an injury, surgery, or illness. The pain can be constant or can come and go, can be localized or radiate through your body, and can range from stiffness to stinging pain.

Based on research from the CDC, in 2019 one out of five American adults had chronic pain. 7.4% of adults (or 36.4% of those who experienced chronic pain) had “high-impact” chronic pain, which is pain that occurs on more days than not that affects how somebody can work or perform other activities. Anyone who suffers from frequent pain symptoms will tell you that it causes far more than just physical discomfort. Chronic pain reduces quality of life and leads to higher medical expenses. It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and trouble sleeping.

Why Do I Have Chronic Pain?

Pain, generally speaking, is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Often, pain is due to a specific incident or medical condition. “Acute pain” occurs immediately, usually because of a discernible, root 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 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 cartilage, tendons, and ligaments in our joints can become inflamed or wear down from overuse or overexertion, causing joint pain.
A variety of conditions that lead to low back pain — Almost 9 out of 10 adults suffer from back pain eventually. Causes can be poor posture or technique, wear and tear at a job that requires physical exertion, sciatica, or disc injuries that impinge on the nerves in the spinal column.
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, there is no underlying musculoskeletal cause, but because there is dysfunction in the nervous system, or because of mental health issues or your personal history.

There are many tips for easing chronic pain, and while many can help you be more active in your daily life, many of our Wilbur Park, MO patients have felt like they tried everything and still can’t feel better. Often, physical therapy is the strategy that finally gets them relief and returns them to the activities they love.

Chronic Pain Treatment Wilbur Park, MO | Pain Management | Physical Therapist Near Wilbur Park

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

There are many possible options for chronic pain treatment in Wilbur Park, MO, including prescription or over-the-counter medications, spinal adjustments by a chiropractor, yoga, and regular exercise. Studies show that incorporating physical therapy into your treatment plan can lead to considerable improvement. You are welcome to come to any Axes location in the Wilbur Park 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. 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 tailor-made course of treatment aimed at getting you back to the things you love most.

Physical therapy can relieve pain by stretching and strengthening your body. Collectively improving those aspects of the best possible movement health relieves pain and enhances your daily life by allowing your body to work better, and breaking up certain body parts from sending pain messages to your brain. Depending on you, the causes of your chronic pain, how old you are, and the activity level you wish to get back to, your treatment plan in Wilbur Park, MO may include:

Guided Exercise

Exercise releases endorphins, your body’s homegrown, feel-good chemical messengers, which not only alleviates pain but helps with any psychological stress caused by your pain. A professional Wilbur Park, MO physical therapist will help you perform exercises that will safely and effectively improve your mobility. With these exercises, your brain will come to understand that certain movements can be performed without pain, restoring your brain’s trust in the rest of your body. 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 Wilbur Park, MO physical therapist will use their hands to gently move soft tissue. Research demonstrates that manual therapy combined with guided exercise is better at treating pain than either technique used alone.

Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization is similar to 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 tool that more and more Wilbur Park, MO physical therapists are incorporating into their treatment plans. It involves using thin, filiform needles to penetrate inflamed muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In doing so, it encourages the body to start to heal itself and encourages the flow of nutrients to the affected area.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

TENS works by placing electrodes over the body part that’s causing you pain. It delivers low-voltage currents, which releases endorphins and awakens nerve cells that prevent your brain from receiving 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 Wilbur Park, MO. We’ll help you learn appropriate posture and movement techniques, in addition to healthy lifestyle tips like diet recommendations.

Other conditions we treat in Wilbur Park, MO include:

Chronic Pain Treatment Wilbur Park, MO | Physical Therapy | Pain Management Near Wilbur Park

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

At Axes Physical Therapy in Wilbur Park, MO, our goals are clear: to deliver positive patient outcomes and help people return to to their best life. Whether you want to be able to hit a breakaway layup like you used to, or just want to get out of bed in the morning without discomfort, speak to a physical therapist in Wilbur Park, MO today or request an appointment online for meaningful chronic pain treatment.