Mobility in Festus, MO. Our bodies are built to move. 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 pain-free. While losing your independence because of losing your mobility affects us in more ways than just physically, Axes Physical Therapy in Festus, MO can implement safe, effective, and evidence-backed solutions that are built specifically to getting you back to the life you want to live. Regardless of whether your mobility limitations are the result of acute trauma, a disease, or a musculoskeletal condition such as sciatica, begin your journey to your best possible movement health and meaningful pain relief as soon as possible by scheduling a mobility and injury analysis with Axes today or calling the the one of our multiple locations nearest you.

The dictionary defines mobility as, “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 your mobility is severely restricted consult with your doctor about professional physical therapy and movement health services.

Functional Mobility in Festus, MO

Functional mobility is the capacity one has to safely and efficiently get around their home. This can be anything from moving around in bed or bringing a cup of coffee to the living room and sitting down. Fundamentally, functional mobility can be broken down into three categories:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you are able to to comfortably move around in bed, including rolling, scooting, sitting up, and lying down.
2. Transfers — Your ability to move from one place to another, for example from a bed to a chair.
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 Festus, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are committed to helping you restore your self-sufficiency. Whether the condition affecting you is an ACL tear, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a central nervous system disorder like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll guide you through your journey to optimal mobility. Most treatment plans include strengthening, balance, and flexibility exercises. We also offer vestibular therapy to help with vestibular disorders that cause dizziness and vertigo.

Festus, MO physical therapists often utilize the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) of seven levels to assess someone’s functional mobility:

1. Complete independence, meaning you are able to move in a certain way without assistance and in a timely manner
2. Modified independence, meaning you need a device such as a cane to complete the task
3. Stand-by assist, meaning you can complete the task by yourself but need someone to monitor you for safety
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can exert 75% of the work needed to complete the task or more while someone else helps you the rest of the way
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can perform about half of the work required
6. Maximal assistance, meaning you can put in a quarter of the work of the task yourself
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 Festus, MO, your personalized treatment plan may include safely taking you up through the seven levels, or at least to the highest level possible. All of our methods are proven to be safe and effective through extensive clinical studies, and your dedicated physical therapist will begin your mobility treatment with a comprehensive examination of your health to verify that the treatment modalities we use are safe for someone in your exact condition.

Beyond Functional Mobility in Festus, MO

Needless to say, simply rolling over in bed without limitations does not define optimal movement health for many of us. There are doubles to hit in your softball league, fun activities to share with your family, and the occupational tasks of the job you carry out every day in order to put food on the table for your Festus, MO family. At Axes, we offer comprehensive physical and occupational physical therapy that can help any individual achieve the activity level they desire. We also offer:

• Occupational therapy — Our Festus, 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 being an integral member of our Festus, MO community and providing for your family the best way you can. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to ascertain what activity level you can safely carry out.
• Sports therapy — The last thing any athlete wants to experience 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 Festus, MO will help you regain your mobility and get you back on the field or court as soon as is safely possible. 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 is a complex and nerve-racking procedure for anyone. Whether your surgery is elective or medically necessary, we’ll team up with the doctors recommending and performing your surgery to ease your worry, and develop a proven game plan to get the best possible outcome from your procedure.

Whatever the current level of mobility, and the extent to wish you want to improve it, consult with your Festus, MO doctor about whether they think getting you a prescription for physical therapy is right for you, or visit one of our locations for a free injury screening from a licensed physical or occupational therapist.

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

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

• Strength — While physical therapy can help rebuild muscle after an injury and slow the weakening of muscles as we age, it also helps to make sure no muscle is stronger or weaker than it should be in relation to the muscles around it. Surrounding our joints with healthy and equally strong muscles is imperative in preventing injury and improving your mobility.
• 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, ligaments, 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 are:
  • Problems with vision
  • A vestibular condition, or a problem in your inner ear
  • Your proprioceptive system, or the network between your sensory receptors and your nervous system

A professional physical therapist in Festus, MO will find the root of your mobility issues and come up with a treatment plan, based on empirical research 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 teaching correct posture

If required, a physical therapist in Festus, MO can also create custom medically accepted assistive devices such as splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to help you achieve the best possible mobility.

How Physical Therapy in Festus, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

Physical therapy does more than just increase mobility. As we work to improve your movement health, you’ll also see the following benefits:

• Pain relief for both acute and chronic conditions without having to use costly and potentially habit forming prescription drugs
• In some cases, the potential to avoid surgery by motivating your body to heal on its own
• Mobility education, including exercises 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
• Encouraging better physical health, which leads to enhanced energy, lowers your risk of heart disease, helps control weight, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in Festus, MO include:

• Shin Splint Treatment
• Direct Access Physical Therapy
• Gait Analysis
• Pelvic Floor Therapy
• Dry Needling Near Me
• Tendonitis Treatment
• Manual Physical Therapy
• Orthopedic Rehab Near Me
• Beginner Running Program
• Chronic Pain Treatment

Mobility in Festus, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you need hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to write, 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 employ 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 find the location nearest for you.