Mobility in Bloomsdale, MO. Our bodies are meant to be on the go. But sometimes, our bodies don’t work the way they should and it keeps us from our favorite activities, or even just being able to carry out or daily live comfortably. While losing your independence because of losing your mobility affects us in more ways than just physically, Axes Physical Therapy in Bloomsdale, MO can provide you with treatment plans that have been proven to be successful and that are built specifically to you and your needs. Regardless of whether your mobility limitations are the result of an injury, a disease, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal skeleton such as sciatica, start on the road back to optimal mobility and comfort as soon as possible by requesting a mobility and injury analysis with Axes today or calling the location nearest you.

The one definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some people that may mean walking up the stairs without pain, while others need to get back to sprinting down the basketball court on a fast break. Whatever it means to you, if you can’t live the life you want pain-free consult with your doctor about professional physical therapy services.

Functional Mobility in Bloomsdale, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to safely and efficiently move around in their home environment. This can be simple tasks such as getting in and out of bed or bringing a cup of coffee to the living room and sitting on a chair. Fundamentally, there are three types of functional mobility:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you are able to to scoot, roll, and get in and out of bed pain-free.
2. Transfers — Your ability to move from one place to a different one, for example from one chair to another.
3. Ambulation — Your ability to walk freely without the need of assistance. This also includes walking while being able to carry objects.

While the injury or condition limiting your functional mobility may mean that you currently rely on assistance in order to operate in your daily life, the Bloomsdale, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are committed to getting your freedom back. Whether you currently lack full functional mobility due to a sports injuryan rotator cuff tear tear, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a degenerative condition like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll guide you through your journey to the best possible movement health. Most treatment plans include strengthening, balance, and flexibility exercises. We also offer vestibular therapy to help with vestibular disorders that cause dizziness and vertigo.

Bloomsdale, MO physical therapists often rely on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) of seven levels to determine someone’s functional mobility:

1. Complete independence, meaning you can achieve specific mobility thresholds safely and in a relatively normal amount of time
2. Modified independence, meaning you can perform specific movements but only with an assistive device
3. Supervision, meaning you can perform the movement independently but need someone next to you so you don’t hurt yourself
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can exert 75% of the work needed to complete the task or more while someone else does the rest
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can exert half of the effort needed
6. Maximal assistance, meaning you can complete about 25% of the task independently
7. Total assistance or not testable, meaning you can complete less than 25% of the task, or that even testing whether or not you can do it is not safe

At Axes Physical Therapy in Bloomsdale, MO, your personalized treatment plan may include gradually taking you from the first level to the highest level you are able to achieve. All of our treatment plans are based on what research says can improve your mobility, and your dedicated physical therapist will begin your mobility treatment with a comprehensive evaluation of your health to ensure that the treatment modalities we use are safe for someone in your exact condition.

Beyond Functional Mobility in Bloomsdale, MO

To be sure, many of us desire a higher level of movement health than just walking up the stairs without assistance. There are corners to burn on the football field, your children to pick up, and the job-related tasks you need to perform every day in order to earn a living for your Bloomsdale, MO family. At Axes, our occupational and physical therapists can help any athlete, worker, or family member achieve the activity level they desire. We also offer:

• Occupational therapy — Our Bloomsdale, MO occupational therapists are an essential part of getting you back to work after a work-related injury. We serve as an integral member of your workers’ compensation team so you can get back to contributing to our Bloomsdale, MO community and supporting your family as you always have. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to determine if you can safely go back to work either fully or in some capacity.
• Sports therapy — Every athletes worst nightmare is an unexpected fall or collision that sidelines them and keeps them from what they love for anywhere from a couple weeks to a year. Our Bloomsdale, MO physical therapy team knows how to help those who are sidelined because of ACL tears, rotator cuff tears, and a variety of other injuries. Our Certified Athletic Trainers can also educate you on the specifics of injury prevention to help you reduce the risk of having to go through an injury again.
• Pre/post surgical rehabilitation — Surgery and your recovery from it are delicate matters that make anyone nervous. Whether your surgery is a matter of choice or a strong recommendation from a physician, we’ll work with your physician and surgeons to form a complete surgical team to give you piece of mind, and formulate a successful strategy to get the best possible outcome from your procedure.

However limited you currently are in your mobility, and the extent to wish you want to improve it, consult with your Bloomsdale, MO doctor about whether or not physical therapy is a good option for you, or visit one of our locations for a free injury screening from a clinically experienced physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in Bloomsdale, MO Can Help Improve Your Mobility

The four determinants of mobility are our strength, flexibility, range of motion, and balance:

• Strength — While physical therapy is effective at rebuilding and maintaining strength, it also ensures that no muscle is disproportionately strong or weak. Having proportionately strong muscles around joints is imperative in preventing injury and reaching optimal movement health.
• Flexibility and range of motion — To achieve optimal movement health, not only do our muscles need to have the strength to control bones, but our muscles, tendons, and other soft tissue need to be able to lengthen, and our joints need to be able to perform a wide variety of movements.
• Balance — Problems with balance are typically due to:
  • Problems with vision
  • A vestibular condition, or something in your inner ear
  • Your proprioceptive system, or the network between your sensory receptors and your nervous system

An experienced physical therapist in Bloomsdale, MO will determine what is causing your mobility issues and come up with a safe and effective treatment plan to improve your movement health. In addition to therapeutic strength, flexibility, and core exercises, your treatment plan may also include:

• Soft tissue mobilization
• Kinesio Taping®
• Trigger point dry needling
• Blood flow restriction training
• Posture correction and good posture education

If your doctor and therapy team agree, a physical therapist in Bloomsdale, MO can also create custom medically accepted assistive devices such as splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to best facilitate movement.

How Physical Therapy in Bloomsdale, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

Physical therapy does more than just increase strength and flexibility. As we work to improve your movement health, you’ll also enjoy:

• Pain relief, whether from an injury or pain that is chronic in nature without the need of costly and potentially habit forming prescription drugs
• In some cases, the potential to avoid a surgical procedure by encouraging the body’s own healing methods
• Patient education, including physical therapy techniques you can safely do at home, what you can do to prevent injuries, and correct posture
• Encouraging you to maintain an active lifestyle, carries with it the benefits of enhanced energy, lowers your odds of developing heart disease, helps control weight, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in Bloomsdale, MO include:

• Physical Therapy Clinic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Mobility in Bloomsdale, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you need hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to open jars, are in need of meaningful pain management for arthritis, or want to get back on the field after a sports injury, Axes’ team of licensed physical and occupational therapists will develop and implement the treatment plan that is safe and affective. We take a leads to positive patient outcomes. To restore the level of mobility you deserve, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or reach out to the location most convenient for you.