Mobility in Earth City, MO. Our bodies are meant to be on the go. But sometimes, we sustain an injury or other condition that impedes us from our favorite activities, or even just being able to carry out or daily live comfortably. While that loss of physical mobility can affect our mental health as well, Axes Physical Therapy in Earth City, MO can provide you with treatment plans that have been proven to be successful and that are customized specifically to getting you back to the life you want to live. Whether your mobility limitations are the result of acute trauma, a degenerative condition, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal structure such as sciatica, begin your journey to your best possible movement health and comfort as soon as possible by setting up a mobility and injury analysis with Axes today or calling the the one of our 15 locations most convenient for you.

The dictionary definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some Earth City, MO residents that may mean getting in and out of a chair comfortably, while for others it may mean serving an ace on the tennis court. Whatever you need to improve your movement health for, if you can’t live the life you want comfortable speak with a physician to see if physical therapy is the right choice for you.

Functional Mobility in Earth City, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to complete daily tasks. This can be anything from getting in and out of bed or bringing a cup of coffee to the next room and sitting on a chair. Fundamentally, functional mobility can be broken down into three categories:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you can to comfortably move around in bed, including rolling, scooting, sitting up, and lying down.
2. Transfers — Your ability to move from one surface to a different one, for example from one chair to another.
3. Ambulation — If you can walk on your own while having objects in your hands.

If you currently need assistance to be functionally mobile, the Earth City, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are committed to helping you regain your self-sufficiency. Whether your currently limited functional mobility was caused by a knee injury, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a degenerative condition like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll develop a customized plan that has been proven to help people like you return to optimal mobility. Most treatment plans include strengthening, balance, and flexibility exercises. Our therapists are also highly trained in vestibular therapy to help with vestibular disorders that cause dizziness and vertigo.

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

1. Complete independence, meaning you can achieve specific mobility thresholds without assistance and in a timely manner
2. Modified independence, meaning you can perform specific movements but only with an assistive device
3. Stand-by assist, meaning you can perform the movement independently but need someone to monitor you for safety
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can do 75% or more while a physical therapist does the rest
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can perform about 50% of the work required
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 the activity is not safe to test

At Axes Physical Therapy in Earth City, MO, your tailor-made treatment plan may include gradually allowing you more and more independence until you get the highest level you can. All of our treatment plans are proven to be safe and effective through extensive clinical studies, and your dedicated physical therapist will begin your mobility treatment with a thorough evaluation of your health to ensure that the exercises we have in mind for you are safe for someone suffering from the same ailment you are.

Beyond Functional Mobility in Earth City, MO

Of course, many of us desire a higher level of movement health than just walking up the stairs independently. There are fast breaks to run, fun activities to share with your family, and the vocational tasks you need to carry out every day in order to earn a living for your Earth City, MO family. At Axes, we offer comprehensive physical and occupational physical therapy that can help any individual reach the optimal movement health they need to get back to the activities they love. We also offer:

• Occupational therapy — Our Earth City, MO occupational therapists are essential to your return to work when an injury or condition does not allow you to carry out the tasks of your job. We serve as an integral member of your workers’ compensation team so you can get back to contributing to our Earth City, 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 a sudden fall or collision that sidelines them and keeps them from what they love for weeks, months, or longer. If you suffer an ACL tear, rotator cuff tear, or other sports injury, Axes Physical Therapy in Earth City, MO will help you restore your mobility and get you back on the field or court as soon as is safely possible. Our Certified Athletic Trainers are big believers in teaching injury prevention to help you stay off the sidelines.
• 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 develop an effective plan of action to get the best possible outcome from your procedure.

Whatever the current level of mobility, and lifestyle you are trying to get back to, consult with your Earth City, MO doctor about what physical therapy can do for you, or visit one of our locations for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening from a clinically experienced physical or occupational therapist.

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

Our mobility is based on our strength, flexibility, range of motion, and balance:

• Strength — While physical therapy is effective at rebuilding and maintaining strength, it also helps achieve muscle balance. Surrounding our joints with healthy and equally strong muscles is essential in preventing injury and reaching optimal movement health.
• Flexibility and range of motion — To reach the movement health and lifestyle we desire, our muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissue need to be able to lengthen so that the joints they control and protect can function at their highest level.
• Balance — Frequent causes of balance issues include:
  • Problems with vision
  • A vestibular disorder, or something in your inner ear
  • Your proprioceptive system, the sense of awareness ingrained in our muscles and joints

A licensed physical therapist in Earth City, MO will determine what is causing your mobility issues and come up with a treatment plan, based on empirical research to get you back to the activities you love. In addition to 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 teaching good posture

If your doctor and therapy team agree, a physical therapist in Earth City, MO can also mold your very own medically accepted assistive devices including splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to help you achieve the best possible mobility.

How Physical Therapy in Earth City, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

Physical therapy does more than just increase mobility. Your customized treatment plans:

• Pain relief for both acute and chronic conditions without having to use painkillers or opioids
• In some cases, the potential to avoid a surgical procedure by encouraging the body’s own healing methods
• Movement health education, including physical therapy techniques you can do in the comfort of your own home with no risk to injury, what you can do to prevent injuries, and the best postures for improved mobility
• Motivating better physical health, carries with it the benefits of enhanced energy, lowers your odds of developing cardiovascular disease, helps control weight, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in Earth City, 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 Earth City, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you need hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to do basic things around the house, are in need of meaningful pain management for arthritis, or need to return to optimal movement health following a devastating injury, Axes’ team of licensed physical and occupational therapists will develop and implement the treatment plan that works best for you. We take a an approach that focuses on personalized treatment. To restore the level of mobility you deserve, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or call the location nearest for you.