Ranken, MO

Ranken, MO

Don't let a mental block over reinjury keep you from the things what you do best.

Injury Prevention in Ranken, 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 being physical fit, don’t let the fear of reinjury keep you from the happy, healthy lifestyle you deserve. While our licensed Ranken, MO physical therapists work extensively with athletes and others to heal after an injury, we are experts in the entire musculoskeletal system who can evaluate your movement, muscle and joint strength, and flexibility to guide you through techniques that are proven to prevent injury. Make an appointment at Axes Physical Therapy today or reach out to the location most convenient for you.

Being physically active is an essential part of many Ranken, MO people’s lives. We love active endeavors like playing sports, biking, or other physical activities. Additionally, committing to an active lifestyle reduces the risk of future health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, eurodegenerative disease, anxiety, and many types of cancers. Not only can physical therapy with one of Axes’ licensed Ranken, MO physical therapists help you return to action and perform even better than before, but our injury prevention experts can help preserve your active lifestyle by optimizing your overall movement health. All of our methods, for both healing from and preventing injury, are proven to be effective and are developed uniquely for each client and the lifestyle they desire.

If you’ve recently sustained an injury, or have a lingering injury that won’t heal on its own, contact the Axes Physical Therapy location nearest you in Ranken, MO for a free injury screening. To reduce your chance of an injury and protect your sport or hobby, read on below or inquire about an appointment today.

Types of Injuries We Prevent Prevent in Ranken, MO

Injuries generally fall into two categories:

  1. Chronic injuries are injuries that are caused by repetitive movements over time. They are common in overhead athletes such as softball or lacrosse players and commonly manifest themselves as 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, for example rotator cuff tears, can either develop over time or occur suddenly. Other injuries, such as ACL tears, almost always occur spontaneously, with an immediate impact to or twisting of the knee.

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

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

While anyone can suffer an injury almost at any time and for numerous different reasons, they generally occur because your muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, and joints cannot handle the force, torque, or stretching that are required or are possible in a given activity. There are three common dysfunctions that lead to injury:

Muscle Imbalance

Muscle balance is crucial to maintaining healthy joints and staving off injury. Imbalance can cause overemphasis for one muscle group, which may cause your body to use it in a way it shouldn’t. It can also lead to poor posture, and the weaker muscles will become tired faster, increasing the risk of injury. Injuries can be caused by inadequate muscle balance between muscle groups, such as having a strong bicep and weak tricep, or in the same muscle group, such as an imbalance between the four muscles of the rotator cuff. Symptoms include:

Customized injury prevention with our certified physical therapists in Ranken, MO will bring balance to your muscles.

Movement Dysfunction

Movement dysfunction can result in poor balance and lead to your body moving in ways it is not designed to, increasing your risk of injury. Problems in your nervous system, inflammation, previous injuries, and muscle imbalance call all contribute to movement dysfunction. It can cause injury through:

  • Joint mobility restrictions
  • Muscle imbalance
  • Poor coordination
  • Decreased balance

When you initially visit our injury prevention professionals in Ranken, MO, we’ll evaluate 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 come up with a personalized plan of attack been proven to work through research and studies to get your movement back on track.

Posture Dysfunction

Bad posture doesn’t just affect people who spend a lot of time doing the same activity. Athletes and other physically active people can suffer from postural dysfunction when at lest, using the computer, or in certain poses necessary for a given activity. Optimal posture refers to proper alignments of your body from your head to your toes in a way that keeps the spine within its natural curves. Poor posture can compress the bones of the spine, which disrupts your nervous system and makes it harder to attain optimal motion health. It causes injuries through:

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

Good posture is a necessary part of injury prevention because it ensures you are using your muscles equally, your flexibility is not jeopardized, and your spine is in its natural position.



Keys to Injury Prevention in Ranken, MO

All sports and physical activities can potentially lead to an injury. We cannot promise that our injury prevention program completely negates the risk of injury. However, there are several steps you can take to make sure your body is prepared for your intended activity:

  • 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 processes. If you have a more moderate activity level, take it easy after activity so you don’t overwork your muscles and joints.
  • Use the appropriate equipment — Helmets, mouth guards, protective eyewear, and other recommended equipment in many sports helps you avoid injuries such as rashes or brain injuries. If you’re returning to activity after an injury, your Ranken, MO doctor or injury prevention professional may fit you for stabilizing braces or Kinesio Taping®. Other techniques like making sure all the equipment is snug offers further stabilization.
  • Increase muscle strength — Strengthening soft tissue helps it withstand the rigors of heavy activity. Our Ranken, MO injury prevention professionals will work to build up your body to be able to avoid injury in the activities you love.
  • Enhance flexibility — Stretching accomplishes three critical things for injury prevention:
    1. It boosts your range of motion, which allows for the tendons and ligaments connecting your muscles to your bones to handle more extreme movements.
    2. It enhances circulation, which carries protein-rich blood to your muscles, removing waste byproduct and encouraging the muscles to restore themselves.
    3. It increases your posture, which we already know is an is one of the most important factors of injury prevention.

    According to research, sports like basketball that require bouncing and jumping require soft tissue with sufficient flexibility to store and release the high levels of energy required. Stretching and warm up exercises before activities further helps prevent injuries.

  • Use proper technique — In every physical activity, there are accepted techniques to use. These techniques not only help you get be the best player you can be but help reduce the risk of injury. Football players are taught to tackle with the shoulder in order to reduce the risk of a head injury, and swimmers learn the proper strokes to make sure their muscles are moving unnaturally. We utilize DorsaVi video motion analysis to slow down your movement and evaluate how to both improve your performance and prevent injury.
  • Listen to your body — If a part of your body is sore, that’s your body’s way of telling you something isn’t right. If you feel something suddenly that doesn’t feel right, immediately stop all physical activity and seek proportional medical care. If your body does not feel well enough for a particularly rigorous workout, save it for another day.
  • Don’t play through an injury — While playing through pain is often viewed as a courageous 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 ensure your recovery and return to action go as well as possible.
  • Follow the rules — Many sports have special rules at different levels in the interest of safety. Penalties for helmet to helmet hits in football, rules against head-first sliding in baseball, and even the existence of special lanes on the street and sidewalk for bikers are all rules that leagues enacted to prevent injuries to ourselves and others. There’s a reason those rules exist, and a reason that there are penalties for them.
  • Consult a licensed physical therapist — It’s a good idea to see a doctor before another season begins or starting up a new physical activity. While there, ask your doctor if injury prevention with a licensed physical therapist in Ranken, MO is a good idea for you. Every treatment plan we employ has been proven to help athletes remain healthy, and we’ll personalize your program to your age, your injury history, and how physically active you wish to be.

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

Injury Prevention for The Elderly in Ranken, MO

Falls in the elderly accounted for more than 3 million emergency room visits and more than 34,000 deaths. Research demonstrates that physical activity can go a long way in preventing falls. Other conditions that cause pain such as arthritis that accumulate over time can be more bearable and take longer to progress with physical therapy exercises that keep your soft tissue and joints strong. While older adults typically do not exert themselves as much as an athlete does, the same principles of strength, balance, flexibility, and optimal posture are great agents in injury prevention.

Other services we offer in Ranken, MO include:

Ranken, 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 joy. The knowledgeable Ranken, MO physical therapists at Axes are here to design for you a personalized injury prevention program that will keep your body prepared for the rigors of physical activity, and your mind confident that you do not have to fear going back to what you love doing most. You deserve to feel the physical and mental health benefits that you once valued so much. Request an appointment online or call the location nearest you to get started with one of our injury prevention specialists in Ranken, MO.

Services Offered

Services Offered
  • Physical Therapy
  • Pre/Post Surgical Rehabilitation
  • Acute Injury Management
  • Chronic Injury Management
  • Work Conditioning/Hardening
  • Functional Capacity Evaluations
  • Sports Physical Therapy
  • Pediatric Orthopedic Physical Therapy
  • Geriatric Physical Therapy
  • Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization
  • DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis
  • Vestibular Therapy and Post-Concussion Rehabilitation
  • Trigger Point Dry Needling
  • Free Injury Screenings
  • Kinesio Taping®
  • Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

Locations

Begin Your Recovery Today

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