Ballwin, MO

Ballwin, MO

Don't let a mental block over reinjury prevent you from participating in the activities you love.

Injury Prevention in Ballwin, MO. Whether you’re an athlete and want to up your game, or are entering your golden years and want to dedicate your time to being physical fit, don’t let the fear of reinjury keep you from the happy, healthy lifestyle you desire. While our professional Ballwin, MO physical therapists spend much of their time helping athletes and others recover from injury, we are complete movement health specialists who can evaluate your movement, muscle and joint strength, and flexibility to guide you through exercises that are proven to reduce the risk of injury. Make an appointment at Axes Physical Therapy today or contact the location most convenient for you.

Physical activity is vitally important to many Ballwin, MO residents. We love active endeavors like playing sports, biking, and more. Furthermore, pursuing an active lifestyle reduces the risk of future health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, anxiety, and many types of cancers. Not only can physical therapy with one of Axes’ licensed Ballwin, MO physical therapists allow you to return to action and perform even better than before, but our injury prevention experts can help you reduce the risk of further injury by improving your overall strength, flexibility, and posture. All of our treatment plans, both when helping restore motion health and when looking to improve it, are based on evidence-backed techniques and are personalized to each client and the lifestyle they desire.

If you’ve recently suffered an injury, or have a lingering injury that is not getting better with time, contact the Axes Physical Therapy location most convenient for you in Ballwin, MO for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening. To take preventative measures and ensure that you can continue with your sport or hobby, read on below or call to speak to a physical therapist today.

Types of Injuries We Prevent Prevent in Ballwin, MO

Injuries typically happen for one of two reasons:

  1. Chronic injuries are injuries that are caused by repetitive movements over time. In sports, we see them the most in in overhead athletes such as softball or volleyball players, with joint pain usually being the first warning sign.
  2. Acute injuries are injuries that happen because of a specific and sudden trauma. Examples include landing on uneven ground or a sudden impact by an object or another person. These can result in bruises, sprains and strains, broken bones, and dislocations.

Some of the injuries we see most frequently, like rotator cuff tears, can result from either overuse or acute trauma. Other injuries, such as ACL tears, almost always occur spontaneously, with a sudden impact to the knee.

Injury Prevention Ballwin, MO | Sports Therapy | Physical Therapy Near Ballwin

Why Do Injuries Happen? | Injury Prevention in Ballwin, MO

While anyone can suffer an injury almost at any time and for numerous different reasons, they generally occur because your soft tissue, bones, and joints cannot handle the force, torque, or stretching that they are subjected to in a given movement or collision. There are three common dysfunctions that lead to injury:

Muscle Imbalance

Muscle balance is essential to supporting joints and preventing injury. Imbalance can result in an overreliance on one muscle group, which may cause your body to use it in a way it shouldn’t. It also causes posture dysfunction, and one set of muscles becoming fatigued faster, making them more susceptible to injuries. Muscle imbalance applies to insufficient muscle balance between muscle groups, such as having a strong hamstring and weak quadriceps, or within muscle groups, such as the four muscles in the rotator cuff having different levels of strength. Muscle imbalance can lead to:

Personalized injury prevention with our knowledgeable physical therapists in Ballwin, MO will bring balance to your muscles.

Movement Dysfunction

Movement dysfunction can result in poor balance and impede your body’s ability to naturally perform functional movements, increasing your risk of injury. Neurological issues, inflammation, previous injuries, and muscle imbalance call all contribute to movement dysfunction. It can cause injury through:

  • Joint mobility limitations
  • Muscle imbalance
  • Coordination deficiency
  • Lessened balance

When you first see our injury prevention experts in Ballwin, MO, we’ll discuss your medical history and perform a base evaluation to identify the root causes of your movement dysfunction. Then, in concert with with your physician or any other medical professionals treating you, we’ll design a customized game plan based on empirically-backed research and studies to get your movement back on track.

Posture Dysfunction

Bad posture is not just an issue for people with desk jobs. Athletes and other physically active people can suffer from postural dysfunction when at lest, sitting, or in certain stances necessary for a given activity. Correct posture means proper positioning when both static and moving in a way that does not remove the spine from its natural curves. Poor posture can bring the vertebrae closer together, which interferes with our body’s ability to communicate with itself and reach ideal motion health. It causes injuries through:

  • Muscle weakness
  • Muscle imbalance
  • Poor positioning
  • Joint mobility restrictions
  • Poor muscle recruitment

By teaching you correct posture, we’ll aid in your injury prevention by ensuring you are using the right muscles for the right movements, your flexibility is not jeopardized, and your nervous system can communicate as its intended to.



Keys to Injury Prevention in Ballwin, MO

All sports and physical activities carry an inherent risk of injury. No one technique is guaranteed to be effective in injury prevention. However, there are several steps you can take to make sure your body is prepared for your desired activity level:

  • Take breaks — Injuries are more common in overworked bodies. If you have a very high activity level, one or two rest days a week will allow your body to engage in its natural healing and recovery processes. If you have a more modest activity level, relax for the rest of the day after an activity so your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints become too fatigued.
  • Wear protective equipment — Helmets, chest guards, safety pads and guards, and other equipment necessary in sports and other activities helps you avoid injuries like contusions or concussions. If you’re returning to activity after an injury, your Ballwin, MO physician or physical therapist may recommend stabilizing braces or Kinesio Taping®. Other methods like tying your cleats tightly offers further stabilization.
  • Boost muscle strength — Strengthening your muscles, tendons, and ligaments helps them stand up to the force and torque of heavy activity. Our Ballwin, MO injury prevention experts will work to build up your body to be able to avoid injury in the activities you want to participate in.
  • Improve flexibility — Stretching contributes to injury prevention in three way:
    1. It boosts which movements you can make and how far you can extend them, which lets for the tendons and ligaments connecting your muscles to your bones to handle more extreme positions.
    2. It increases blood flow, which allows for protein-rich blood to flow to your muscles, eliminating waste byproduct and encouraging the muscles to recover.
    3. It encourages good posture, which we already know is an is one of the most important aspects of injury prevention.

    According to studies, sports like basketball that require sudden twists and movements require soft tissue flexible enough to store and expel the high levels of energy required. Stretching and warm up exercises before activities further helps prevent injuries.

  • Use correct technique — Through the years, each sport and physical activity develops a consensus of the best ways to position and move your body. These techniques not only improve performance but help prevent injuries by not forcing your body into unnatural positions and movements. Football players learn to tackle with the shoulder in order to reduce the risk of a concussion, and rotational athletes like golfers and baseball players learn how to best rotate their body. We use DorsaVi video motion analysis to capture how you move and evaluate how to both improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury.
  • Don’t ignore what your body is telling you — If a part of your body is sore, that means that body part is telling your brain that something isn’t right. If you feel sudden pain, immediately withdraw from the activity and get the appropriate medical treatment. If your body does not feel well enough for a particularly rigorous training session, save it for another day.
  • Don’t play through an injury — While teammates, competitors, and fans appreciate an athlete that guts it out through pain, forcing your body to perform with soft tissue or structural damage could make that injury worse and put you out of commission for longer than it originally would have. Depending on what caused your injury and how severe it is, recommended actions may be using R.I.C.E. method, visiting an emergency room, and a series of physical therapy sessions to ensure your body heals naturally and can handle a return to physical activity.
  • Play by the rules — Many sports have special rules at different levels in the interest of safety. Penalties for leading with the helmet in football, rules against coming from behind in soccer, and even the presence of special lanes on the street and sidewalk for bikers are examples of rules that were adopted to prevent injuries to ourselves and others. There’s a reason those rules exist, and a reason that violations of those rules are punished.
  • Speak a licensed physical therapist — It’s always advisable to have a medical evaluation before starting another season or committing yourself to any strenuous physical activity. While there, inquire with your doctor if injury prevention with a licensed physical therapist in Ballwin, MO is right for you. Every treatment plan we employ has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of injury, and you plan will be completely unique to you and catered to how old you are, your injury history, and which activities you want to participate in.

Injury Prevention Ballwin, MO | Sports Therapy | Physical Therapy Near Ballwin

Injury Prevention for The Elderly in Ballwin, MO

Falls in the elderly accounted for more than 3 million urgent care admissions and more than 34,000 fatalities. Research demonstrates that being physical active can go a long way in reducing the risk of falls. Other conditions such as arthritis that accumulate over time can be more bearable and take longer to progress with physical therapy exercises that keep your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints healthy. While seniors typically do not exert themselves as much as an athlete does, the same principles of strength, balance, flexibility, and good posture are great agents in injury prevention.

Other services we offer in Ballwin, MO include:

Ballwin, MO Injury Prevention | Axes Physical Therapy

Suffering in injury in in an activity you prepare and train for and love can lead to a mental block that keeps us from experiencing the same exultation. The professional Ballwin, MO physical therapists at Axes are here to design for you a personalized injury prevention program that will keep your body as safe and healthy as can be, and your mind at ease that you do not have to fear going back to what you love. We will aid you in feeling the physical and mental health benefits that you once valued so much. Schedule an appointment online or reach out to the location nearest you to learn more about what our Ballwin, MO injury prevention specialists can do for you.

Services Offered

Services Offered
  • Physical Therapy
    • Pre/Post Surgical Rehabilitation
    • Acute Injury Management
    • Chronic Injury Management
  • Occupational Therapy
    • Certified Hand Therapy
  • Work Conditioning/Hardening
  • Functional Capacity Evaluations
  • Sports Physical Therapy
  • DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis
  • Trigger Point Dry Needling
  • Pediatric Orthopedic Physical Therapy
  • Geriatric Orthopedic Physical Therapy
  • Women's Health Therapy - Pelvic Floor
  • Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTYM)
  • Spine Specialty – Manual Therapy Certified
  • Free Injury Screenings
  • Kinesio Taping®
  • Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

Our Team

Sara Crain
PT, CEAS, Astym Cert.
Lauren Cavanaugh
Front Office Supervisor
Amanda Long
DPT, CMPT, ATC
Stephen Brunjes
OTR/L, CEAS
Brian Wahlig
Front Office Supervisor
Sarah Schroeder
MOTR/L, CHT, Astym Cert
Bill Franzen
Partner, PT, MHSPT
Kinsey Jackson
Front Office
Cassandra Wadlow
Front Office
Mary McKinney
Front Office
Brian Little
Front Office Supervisor
Zac Schniers
PT, DPT, CMPT
Danielle O’Rando
Front Office
Natasha Burtchett
Front Office Supervisor
Antoinette Ghoston
Front Office
Ashley Kraus
Front Office
Helen Ziegler
Front Office
Addie Kersting
Front Office Supervisor
Dena Rose
PT, CMPT, CHT
Katee Strunk
Front Office Team Lead
Mark Smith
PT, DPT, CMPT
Kaila Mikesch
Clinic Director, PT, DPT, CMPT
Ali Bauer
PT, CMPT
Brandi Arndt
MPT, CMPT
Julie Freiner
OTR/L, CHT
Samantha Bixby
PT, DPT, Astym Cert.
Eric Meyer
Assistant Clinic Director, PT, DPT, CMPT
Anthony Meyer
PT, DPT, CMPT
Brittany Stapp
Front Office Supervisor
Mitchell Hammack
Clinic Director, PT, DPT, CMPT
Farren Holman
PT, DPT, Astym Cert.
Jodi Bielicke
Clinic Director, PT, DPT, ASTYM Cert.
Sara Dowil
OTR/L, CHT
Mike Faris
Clinic Director, PT, CMPT
Emily Helton
Clinic Director, PT, DPT, CMPT
Mandy Carter
MSPT, CMPT, ATC, CWC
Matt Williams
MS, OTR/L, ATC/L, CHT
Ray Bauer
Clinic Director, MSPT, CMPT
Brett Shelton
PT, DPT, OCS, COMT, CSMT
Candace Cunningham
Clinic Director, PT, DPT
Jeff Hunter
Clinic Director, PT, Cert. MDT, MBA
Scott Gallant
PT, FAAOMPT, BDN
Derrick Wolk
Partner, Clinic Director, MPT, CMPT
Greg Nicholas
Clinic Director, MPT, CMPT
John Teepe
Partner, MPT
Ernie Goddard
Partner, PT
John Ruesler
Clinic Director, DPT, CMPT, Astym Cert.
Jennifer Szydlowski
Clinic Director, PT, CMPT
Stacey Collins
Clinic Director, PT, DPT, CMPT
Brian Freund
Partner, DPT, CMPT, TPS, MBA
Joe Schmersahl
Clinic Director, PT, MTC, CMTPT
Bailey Zimmermann
Front Office Supervisor
Bradley Webb
Clinic Director, PT
Kelly Basler
Front Office
Daniel Scribner
PT, DPT, ATC
Jayne Scanlan
DPT, COMT, CMTPT, FAAOMPT
Sharon Titter
Clinic Director, MPT
Natalie Carter
PT, DPT, Astym. Cert.
Michelle Schrage
Front Office
Megan Phillips
Front Office
TJ Jung
PT, DPT
Kaysie Cope
Front Office
Christine Lucke
MPT, COMT.
Lauren Huckstep
Clinic Director, PT, DPT, CSCS, Astym Cert.
Mary Headrick
Front Office Associate
Megan Mason
OTD, OTR/L
Lauren Vaughn
PT, DPT, CMPT, Astym Cert.
Emma Witte
PTA, ASTYM Cert.
Stephanie Heubi
Front Office
Hannah Drake
DPT, CMPT, ATC, LAT
Kimberly Helm
Front Office Supervisor
JP Thompson
PT, DPT, Astym Cert.
Marion Shaw
Front Office Supervisor
Kelly Barnes
Physical Therapist
Abigail Alsmeyer
Front Office
Lisa Bell
Front Office
Shelby Ellis
Front Office
Kayla Kowal
PT, DPT, CSCS
Amanda Reynolds
Front Office
Erin Bauer
PT, DPT
Annmarie Koenen
Front Office
Kelly Thornton
Clinic Director, PT, DPT
Jamie Davis
Front Office
Grace Gualtieri
Physical Therapist
Jennifer Zweigart
Front Office
Heather Guffey
Front Office
Candy Willcox
Front Office
Justin Bridwell
Front Office
Jeff Cowdry
OTR/L, CHT
Shannon Blum
PTA, ATC
Chris Casner
PT, Clinic Director
Christine Rufkahr
PT, COMT, CSMT

Locations

Begin Your Recovery Today

Injuries and pain shouldn’t keep you from moving and doing the things you love.