Ironton, MO

Ironton, MO

Don't let a mental block over reinjury keep you from the activities you love.

Injury Prevention in Ironton, MO. Whether you play a sport and are hoping for an opportunity at the next stage, or a recent retiree who wants to dedicate your time to hiking, don’t let the fear of reinjury keep you from the happy, healthy lifestyle you desire. While our licensed Ironton, 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 body’s current condition and how you move to teach out methods that are proven to reduce the risk of injury. Request an appointment at Axes Physical Therapy today or reach out to the location most convenient for you.

Physical activity is an essential part of many Ironton, MO people’s lives. We love active endeavors like playing sports, kayaking, or other physical activities. Furthermore, pursuing an active lifestyle helps stave off serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, eurodegenerative disease, mental health issues, and many types of cancers. Not only can physical therapy with one of Axes’ licensed Ironton, MO physical therapists help you come back and perform even better than before, but our injury prevention experts can help you reduce the risk of further injury by optimizing your overall movement health. All of our methods, for both healing from and preventing injury, have been prove to work and are personalized to each client and the lifestyle they desire.

If you’ve recently suffered an injury, or have a nagging injury that won’t heal on its own, contact the Axes Physical Therapy location nearest you in Ironton, MO for a complimentary injury screening. To take preventative measures and protect your active lifestyle, keep reading or call to speak to a physical therapist today.

Types of Injuries We Prevent Prevent in Ironton, MO

Most injuries happen for one of two reasons:

  1. Wear-and-tear injuries are injuries that are caused by repetitive movements over time. They are common in overhead athletes such as tennis or quarterbacks and typically reveal themselves with joint pain.
  2. Acute injuries are sudden and spontaneous. 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 common injuries, like rotator cuff tears, can result from either overuse or acute trauma. Other injuries, for example ACL tears, are almost always the result of trauma, with a sudden impact to the knee.

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

What Causes Injuries? | Injury Prevention in Ironton, MO

While anyone can suffer an injury almost at any time and for numerous different reasons, they generally occur because of dysfunction or instability and your body and between body parts. There are three main causes of why your body cannot adjust to an activity:

Muscle Imbalance

Muscle balance is essential to supporting joints and reducing injury. Imbalance can cause overemphasis for one set of muscles, which may cause your body to use it in a way it shouldn’t. It also prevents you from having ideal posture, and the weaker muscles will become tired faster, increasing the risk of injury. Injuries can be caused by poor muscle balance in relation to other muscle groups, such as having a strong hamstring and weak quadriceps, or in the same muscle group, 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 Ironton, MO will bring balance to your muscles.

Movement Dysfunction

Movement dysfunction can impact your stability and lead to your body moving in ways it is not designed to, increasing your risk of injury. It can be caused by many different musculoskeletal issues. It can cause injury through:

  • Joint mobility limitations
  • Muscle imbalance
  • Poor coordination
  • Reduced balance

At our initial injury prevention appointment in Ironton, MO, we’ll evaluate your medical records and perform a base evaluation to identify the root causes of your movement dysfunction. Then, alongside with your doctor or any other providers involved in your care, we’ll create a customized game plan based on empirically-backed research and studies to get your movement health to reach its potential.

Posture Dysfunction

Bad posture doesn’t just affect people with slouched shoulders. Athletes and others with active lifestyles can be affected by postural dysfunction when at lest, driving, or in specific stances necessary for their sport. Healthy posture refers to correct positioning of your body from your head to your toes in a way that encourages our spine to stay in its natural curves. Poor posture can compress the vertebrae, which disrupts your nervous system and makes it difficult to reach ideal movement health. It can also lead to:

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

Good posture is a vital part of injury prevention because it ensures muscle balance, range of motion, and that your nervous system can communicate as its intended to.



Keys to Injury Prevention in Ironton, MO

All sports and physical activities carry an inherent risk of injury. We cannot promise that our injury prevention program completely negates the risk of injury. However, there are several steps you can take to greatly reduce the risk of injury:

  • Take breaks — Injuries are more common in overworked bodies. If you’re heavily active, make sure to take one or two days off per week to signal to your body to naturally heal any mild pain or soreness. If you have a more modest activity level, take it easy after activity so your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints become too fatigued.
  • Use the correct equipment — Helmets, shin guards, elbow pads, and other recommended equipment in many sports helps you avoid injuries like rashes or concussions. If you’ve already suffered an injury to a joint or soft tissue, your Ironton, MO physician or physical therapist may recommend braces or Kinesio Taping® to stabilize the injured area. Other methods like tying your cleats tightly can further help injury prevention by stabilizing your joints.
  • Strengthen muscles — Strengthening soft tissue helps it stand up to the force and torque your body is put through in sports and other activities. Our Ironton, MO injury prevention professionals will work to achieve optimal muscle balance and strengthen the often forgotten muscles needed to safely participate in the activities you love.
  • Enhance flexibility — Stretching contributes to injury prevention in three way:
    1. It improves your range of motion, which allows for your soft tissue to handle more forceful positions.
    2. It increases blood flow, which allows for nourishing blood to flow to your soft tissue, removing waste byproduct and reinvigorating the muscles.
    3. It improves your posture, which we already know is an an important part of injury prevention.

    According to studies, sports like soccer that include bouncing and jumping require soft tissue with sufficient flexibility to perform those movements. Also, it’s important to stretch and warm up before any physical activity to further reduce the risk of injury.

  • Use accepted technique — Through the years, each sport and physical activity develops a consensus of the best techniques to use. These techniques not only help you perform better but help reduce the risk of injury. Football players are taught to tackle with the shoulder in order to avoid a concussion, and rotational athletes like golfers and baseball players learn how to best apply torque to your body. We utilize DorsaVi video motion analysis to slow down your movement and educate you on how to both improve your performance and reduce your risk of injury.
  • Listen to your body — If you feel pain in a muscle or joint, that’s your body’s way of telling you something isn’t right. If you feel sudden pain, immediately withdraw from the activity and seek proportional medical care. If your body isn’t holing up well in a particularly rigorous training session, don’t force it.
  • Don’t play through an injury — Even though playing through pain is often seen as a heroic act among competitors, 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, you may use methods like the R.I.C.E. method, seeing your doctor, and scheduling appointments with a physical therapist to make sure your recovery and return to action go as well as possible.
  • Follow the rules — Most sports have special rules at different levels to reduce the risk of injury. Penalties for helmet to helmet hits in football, rules against head-first sliding in baseball, and even the existence of bike lanes are examples of rules that leagues enacted to keep participants safe. Those are in place for a reason, and there’s a reason that there are penalties for them.
  • Speak a licensed physical therapist — It’s always advisable to see a doctor before a new season or starting up a new physical activity. During your visit, inquire with your doctor if injury prevention with a licensed physical therapist in Ironton, MO is a good idea for you. All of our techniques have been demonstrated to help athletes remain healthy, and you plan will be completely unique to you and catered to your age, your injury history, and which activities you want to participate in.

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

Injury Prevention for The Elderly in Ironton, MO

Falls in adults over 65 were responsible for more than 3 million urgent care visits and more than 34,000 deaths. Studies show that physical activity can go a long way in reducing the risk of falls. Other conditions like arthritis that develop over the course of several years can be effectively managed with physical therapy exercises that keep your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints strong. While the physical demands for seniors may not be as high as an athlete, appropriate strength, stability, flexibility, and good posture can greatly aid in injury prevention.

Other services we offer in Ironton, MO include:

Ironton, MO Injury Prevention | Axes Physical Therapy

Suffering in injury in in an activity you prepare and train for and love can create a mental block that keeps us from experiencing the same euphoria. The professional Ironton, MO physical therapists at Axes are here to guide you through your own personalized injury prevention program that will keep your body as safe and healthy as can be, and your mind confident that you do not have to fear going back to what you love doing most. We will aid you in feeling the physical and mental health benefits that you do not want to lose. Schedule an appointment online or call the location nearest you to get started with one of our injury prevention professionals in Ironton, MO.

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
  • Certified Hand Therapy
  • Sports Physical Therapy
  • Pediatric Orthopedic Physical Therapy
  • Geriatric Physical Therapy
  • Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization
  • Spine Specialty – Certified Manual Therapy
  • Vestibular Therapy and Post-Concussion Therapy
  • Free Injury Screenings
  • Kinesio Taping®
  • Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

Our Team

Stephen Brunjes
OTR/L, CEAS
Cassandra Wadlow
Front Office
Dena Rose
PT, CMPT, CHT
Anthony Meyer
PT, DPT, CMPT
Derrick Wolk
Partner, Clinic Director, MPT, CMPT
Kimberly Helm
Front Office Supervisor
Lisa Bell
Front Office

Locations

Begin Your Recovery Today

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