Mobility in Cottleville, MO. Our bodies are designed to be on the go. But sometimes, our mobility is impeded and it impedes us from doing what we love most. While that loss of physical mobility can affect our mental health as well, Axes Physical Therapy in Cottleville, MO can provide you with safe, effective, and evidence-backed solutions that are tailored specifically to you, your age, and your desired activity level. Whether your mobility is limited because of an injury, a degenerative condition, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal structure such as sciatica, begin your journey to your best possible movement health and meaningful pain relief now by scheduling an appointment with Axes today or calling the location nearest you.

The one definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some of us that may mean walking up the stairs without pain, while others have more active lifestyle desires like making a diving catch in their softball league. Whatever you need to improve your movement health for, if you can’t live the life you want pain-free consult with a physician to see if physical therapy is the right choice for you.

Functional Mobility in Cottleville, MO

Functional mobility is the capacity one has to complete basic tasks. This can be anything from moving around in bed or getting in and out of the shower safely. In general, functional mobility can be broken down into three categories:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you can to scoot, roll, and get in and out of bed pain-free.
2. Transfers — Your ability to move from one surface to a different one, for example from one chair to another.
3. Ambulation — Whether or not you can walk, and can do so while carrying things.

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 Cottleville, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are committed to getting your independence back. Whether the condition affecting you is an ACL tear, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a degenerative condition like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll implement a personalized plan that safely and correctly helps you reach optimal mobility. Most treatment plans include strengthening, balance, and flexibility exercises. We also offer vestibular therapy for people who have a debilitating vestibular disorder.

The seven level Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is the main way to determine functional mobility in Cottleville, MO:

1. Complete independence, meaning you are able to achieve specific mobility thresholds without risk of injury 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 complete the task by yourself but need someone standing by for safety
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can do 75% or more while a physical therapist helps you the rest of the way
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can perform about half of the work necessary
6. Maximal assistance, meaning you can put in a quarter of the work of the task without assistance
7. Total assistance or not testable, meaning you are unable to put in 25% of the effort required, or that even testing whether or not you can do it is not safe

At Axes Physical Therapy in Cottleville, MO, your tailor-made treatment plan may include safely allowing you more and more independence until you get the highest level you can. All of our methods are proven to be safe and effective through extensive clinical studies, and at your first appointment with your professional physical therapist, they will perform a comprehensive evaluation of your health to verify that the exercises we use are safe for someone suffering from the same ailment you are.

Beyond Functional Mobility in Cottleville, MO

Obviously, simply rolling over in bed pain-free does not define optimal movement health for many of us. There are corners to burn on the football field, fun activities to share with your family, and the job-related tasks you need to carry out every day in order to put food on the table for your Cottleville, MO family. At Axes, our occupational and physical therapists can help any individual achieve the activity level they desire. Our services also include:

• Occupational therapy — Our Cottleville, MO occupational therapists are vital to your recovery when an injury or condition limits the mobility needed to to do your hob. We team up with you and your physician, insurance carrier, attorney and employer so you can get back to being an integral member of our Cottleville, MO community and supporting your family as you want to. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to ascertain if you are ready to return to your job.
• Sports therapy — Every athletes worst nightmare is an unexpected pop or crack that sidelines them and keeps them from what they love for anywhere from a couple weeks to a year. Our Cottleville, MO physical therapy team is experienced in helping 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 makes anyone anxious. Whether your surgery is elective or medically necessary, we’ll team up with the doctors recommending and performing your surgery to help you feel confident in your treatment, and formulate a proven plan of action to restore optimal mobility.

However limited you currently are in your mobility, and the level of movement health you desire, consult with your Cottleville, MO doctor about whether or not physical therapy is advisable, or visit one of our locations for a complimentary injury screening from a clinically experienced physical or occupational therapist.

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

The four tenets 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 equal muscle balance around joints is crucial in preventing injury and reaching optimal movement health.
• Flexibility and range of motion — To reach the movement health and lifestyle we desire, 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 — Frequent causes of balance issues include:
  • Problems with eyesight
  • A vestibular condition, or a problem in your inner ear
  • Your proprioceptive system, the receptors in our muscles that monitor length, tension, pressure and noxious stimuli

An experienced physical therapist in Cottleville, MO will determine what is causing your limitations in mobility and develop a safe and effective treatment plan to improve your movement health. Beyond therapeutic strength, flexibility, and core exercises, other evidence-backed techniques may include:

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

If required, a physical therapist in Cottleville, MO can also create custom medically accepted assistive devices such as splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to aid you in your mobility and reduce risk of injury.

How Physical Therapy in Cottleville, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

The benefits of physical therapy go beyond just getting around easier, getting back to work, or getting back on the field. As we work to reach optimal movement health, you’ll also see the following benefits:

• Pain relief for both acute and chronic conditions without having to use painkillers or opioids
• If applicable, the opportunity to avoid surgery by encouraging the body’s natural way of healing itself
• Movement health education, including exercises you can safely do at home, what you can do to prevent injuries, and the best postures for improved mobility
• Encouraging you to maintain an active lifestyle, carries with it the benefits of increased energy, decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease, contributes to a healthy weight, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in Cottleville, MO include:

• Rotator Cuff Tear Treatment
• Running Injury
• MCL Tear
• ACL Rehabilitation
• Functional Capacity Evaluation
• Vertigo Treatment
• Total Knee Replacement Physical Therapy
• Vestibular Therapy
• Concussion Treatment
• Soft Tissue Mobilization

Mobility in Cottleville, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you need hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to use a computer, are in need of meaningful pain management for joint problems, or want to get back on the field after a sports injury, Axes’ team of licensed physical and occupational therapists is here to help you get back to the activities you love. 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 call the location that works best for you.