Womack, MO

Womack, MO

Don't let the fear of reinjury prevent you from participating in the activities you love.

Injury Prevention in Womack, MO. Whether you’re an athlete and want to improve your performance, or you just retired and want to dedicate your time to camping, don’t let the fear of reinjury keep you from the activities you love. While our certified Womack, MO physical therapists work extensively with athletes and others to heal after an injury, we are complete movement health specialists who can evaluate your movement, muscle and joint strength, and flexibility to show you measures that are proven to reduce the risk of injury by preparing your body for the stressors of your desired activity. Make an appointment at Axes Physical Therapy today or contact the location most convenient for you.

Physical activity is an essential part of many Womack, MO people’s lives. Many of us participate in activities like playing sports, kayaking, or other physical activities. Furthermore, committing to an active lifestyle reduces the risk of future health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, mental health issues, and certain cancers. Not only can physical therapy with one of Axes’ licensed Womack, MO physical therapists help you come back even stronger after an injury, but our injury prevention professionals can help you reduce the risk of further injury by optimizing your overall movement health. All of our treatment plans, for both healing from and preventing injury, have been prove to work and are developed uniquely for each client and the activities they want to return to.

If you’ve recently suffered an injury, or have a persistent injury that just won’t go away, contact the Axes Physical Therapy location most convenient for you in Womack, MO for a free injury screening. To take preventative measures and ensure that you can continue with your sport or hobby, keep reading or inquire about an appointment at your earliest convenience.

Injuries Axes PT Can Help Prevent in Womack, MO

Most injuries fall into two categories:

  1. Repetitive motion injuries are injuries that are caused by repetitive movements over time. In sports, we see them the most in in overhead athletes athletes who use throwing or striking motions and typically are accompanied by joint pain.
  2. Acute injuries are injuries that happen in an instant. Examples include landing on uneven ground or a sudden impact by an object or another person. These can result in bruises, twisting joints, fractures, and dislocations.

Some common injuries, for example rotator cuff tears, can either develop over time or occur suddenly. Other injuries, for example ACL tears, are almost always the result of trauma, with a sudden impact to the knee.

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

What Causes Injuries? | Injury Prevention in Womack, MO

While anyone can suffer an injury almost at any time and for numerous different reasons, they generally happen because of dysfunction or imbalance and your body and between body parts. There are three common dysfunctions that lead to injury:

Muscle Imbalance

Muscle balance is key to maintaining healthy joints and staving off injury. Imbalance can result in an overreliance on one set of muscles, which may cause your body to force it to participate in an activity it shouldn’t. It also prevents you from having optimal posture, and the weaker set of muscles will be pushed past its limit, resulting in failure and a higher probability of injury. Muscle imbalance can refer to insufficient muscle balance in relation to other muscle groups, such as having a strong bicep and weak tricep, or within muscle groups, such as the four muscles in the rotator cuff having different levels of strength. Symptoms include:

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

Movement Dysfunction

Movement dysfunction can impact your stability and lead to your body moving in unnatural ways, causing injury. Problems in your nervous system, swelling, previous injuries, and muscle imbalance call all contribute to movement dysfunction. Symptoms include:

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

At our first injury prevention appointment in Womack, MO, we’ll discuss your medical records and perform a base evaluation to identify the root causes of your movement dysfunction. Then, in tandem with with your doctor or any other providers treating you, we’ll develop a tailored treatment plan been proven to work by research and studies to get your movement back on track.

Posture Dysfunction

Bad posture is not just an issue for people who spend a lot of time doing the same activity. Athletes and others with active lifestyles can suffer from postural dysfunction when at lest, using the computer, or in certain stances related to their sport. Good posture means correct positioning when both static and moving in a way that encourages our spine to stay in its natural curves. Poor posture can compact the vertebrae, which disrupts communication between your brain and body and makes it harder to reach the strength and range of motion you need to achieve. 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.



How to Prevent Injury in Womack, MO

All sports and physical activities can potentially lead to an injury. No one precaution is 100% foolproof in injury prevention. However, there are precautions to make sure your body is strong and flexible enough for your intended activity:

  • Take a rest — 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 naturally heal any mild pain or soreness. If you have a more modest activity level, take a break after activity so you don’t overwork your muscles and joints.
  • Wear protective equipment — Helmets, shin guards, elbow pads, and other required equipment in many sports can help prevent injuries such as contusions or concussions. If you’ve had a previous injury, your Womack, MO physician or physical therapist may suggest braces or Kinesio Taping® to stabilize the injured area. Other methods like making sure all the equipment is snug can further help injury prevention by stabilizing your joints.
  • Increase muscle strength — Strengthening your muscles, tendons, and ligaments helps them stand up to the force and torque necessary for in sports and other activities. Our Womack, MO injury prevention specialists will work to build up your body to be able to avoid injury in the activities you love.
  • Boost flexibility — Increasing your flexibility contributes to injury prevention in three way:
    1. It enhances your range of motion, which allows for your tendons and ligaments to handle more drastic movements.
    2. It boosts circulation, which allows for nutrient-rich blood to flow to your muscles, removing waste byproduct and re-energizing the muscles.
    3. It encourages good posture, which we already know is an an essential part of injury prevention.

    According to a peer-reviewed sports medicine paper, sports like soccer that necessitate sudden twists and movements require muscles and tendons compliant enough to store and release the high levels of energy required. Stretching and warm up exercises before activities further helps prevent injuries.

  • Use proper 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 reduce the risk of injury. Football players are taught to tackle with the shoulder in order to avoid a concussion, and swimmers learn the proper strokes to use the appropriate muscles. We use DorsaVi video motion analysis to slow down your movement and educate you on how to improve it.
  • Don’t ignore what your body is telling you — If a part of your body is bothering you, your body is trying to send you a message. If you feel a sudden pop or grinding sensation, immediately withdraw from the activity and seek proportional medical care. 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 a player that guts it out through pain, playing with an injury to a muscle, joint, tendon, or ligament could make that injury worse and leave you on the sidelines for much longer than if you had sat out at the time of the injury. Depending on what caused your injury and how severe it is, recommended actions may be using R.I.C.E. method, seeing your doctor, and a series of physical therapy sessions to make sure your body heals naturally and can withstand a return to physical activity.
  • 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 coming from behind in soccer, and even the presence of special lanes on the street and sidewalk for bikers are all rules that were adopted to keep participants safe. There’s a reason those rules exist, and a reason that violations of those rules are punished.
  • Consult a licensed physical therapist — It’s in your best interest to have a medical evaluation before a new season or starting up a new activity or training regimen. During your visit, ask your doctor if injury prevention with a licensed physical therapist in Womack, MO is something you should consider. Every treatment plan we employ has been demonstrated to prevent injury, 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 Womack, MO | Sports Therapy | Physical Therapy Near Womack

Injury Prevention for Senior Citizens in Womack, MO

Falls in the elderly were responsible for over 3 million urgent care admissions and more than 34,000 deaths. Studies show that physical activity is invaluable in preventing falls. Other conditions that cause pain like arthritis that are wear and tear injuries can be more bearable and take longer to progress with physical therapy exercises that keep your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints active. While older adults typically do not exert themselves as much as an athlete does, the same principles of strength, stability, flexibility, and good posture are great agents in injury prevention.

Other services we offer in Womack, MO include:

Womack, MO Injury Prevention | Axes Physical Therapy

Being injured in something you love doing can create a mental block that keeps us from experiencing the same elation. The licensed Womack, 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 at ease that you can safely return to the activities you love doing most. We will aid you in feeling the physical and mental health benefits that you once valued so much. Make an appointment online or reach out to the location nearest you to start your program with one of our injury prevention experts in Womack, 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.