Mobility in Grantwood Village, MO. Our bodies are meant 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 affects us in more ways than just physically, Axes Physical Therapy in Grantwood Village, 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. Regardless of whether your mobility limitations are the result of an injury, a disease, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal skeleton such as sciatica, take the first steps in your best possible movement health and a pain-free daily life as soon as possible by scheduling an appointment with Axes today or calling the the one of our 15 locations nearest you.
The dictionary definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some Grantwood Village, MO residents that may mean picking up their kids comfortably, while others need to get back to 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 about professional physical therapy and movement health services.
Functional Mobility in Grantwood Village, MO
Functional mobility is the capacity one has to safely get around their home. This can be anything from comfortably laying down in bed each night or walking up a flight of stairs. In general, there are three types of functional mobility:
- Bed mobility — Your ability to easily move around in bed, including rolling, scooting, sitting up, and lying down.
- Transfers — Whether or not you are able to move from one place to another, for example from one chair to another.
- Ambulation — Your ability to walk freely without the need of assistance. This also includes walking while being able to carry objects.
If you currently need assistance to be functionally mobile, the Grantwood Village, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are dedicated to helping you regain your freedom. Whether the condition affecting you is a knee injury, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a a progressive disorder like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll guide you through your journey to the best possible mobility. We will guide you in strengthening, balance, and flexibility training. We also offer vestibular therapy to help with vestibular disorders that cause dizziness and vertigo.
The seven level Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is the main way to evaluate functional mobility in Grantwood Village, MO:
- Complete independence, meaning you are able to move in a certain way without assistance and in a relatively normal amount of time
- Modified independence, meaning you need a device such as crutches to complete the task
- Stand-by assist, meaning you can complete the task by yourself but need someone standing by so you don’t hurt yourself
- Minimal assistance, meaning you can exert 75% of the effort needed to complete the task or more while someone else does the rest
- Moderate assistance, meaning you can exert 50% of the effort necessary
- Maximal assistance, meaning you can put in a quarter of the work of the task yourself
- 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 Grantwood Village, MO, your customized treatment plan may include gradually 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 when you and your licensed physical therapist first meet, they will perform a comprehensive examination of your health to ensure that the exercises we use are safe for someone in your exact condition.
Beyond Functional Mobility in Grantwood Village, MO
Of course, simply walking up the stairs without limitations does not define optimal movement health for many of us. There are pickleball leagues to dominate, fun activities to share with your family, and the occupational tasks of the job you perform every day so that you can put food on the table for your Grantwood Village, MO family. At Axes, we offer comprehensive physical and occupational physical therapy that can help any athlete, worker, or family member improve mobility they need to get back to the activities they love. Our services also include:
- Occupational therapy — Our Grantwood Village, MO occupational therapists are vital to your recovery when an injury or condition limits the mobility needed to to do your hob. We serve as an integral member of your workers’ compensation team so you can get back to helping our Grantwood Village, MO community and providing for your family the best way you can. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to ascertain if you are ready to return to your job.
- Sports therapy — The worst-case scenario for anyone who loves playing sports is an unexpected injury that keeps them off the field or court for anywhere from a couple weeks to a year. Our Grantwood Village, 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 also specialize in 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 ease your worry, and develop a successful strategy to restore optimal mobility.
Whatever the current level of mobility, and lifestyle you are trying to get back to, consult with your Grantwood Village, MO doctor about whether they think getting you a prescription for physical therapy is right for you, or come see us for a no-obligation injury screening from a licensed physical or occupational therapist.
How a Physical Therapist in Grantwood Village, 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 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 vital to preventing injury and reaching optimal movement health.
- Flexibility and range of motion — To improve our mobility to the highest level we can, 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 — Balance issues are typically caused by:
- Problems with eyesight
- A vestibular disorder, or a problem in your inner ear
- Your proprioceptive system, the receptors in our muscles that monitor length, tension, pressure and noxious stimuli
A clinically experienced physical therapist in Grantwood Village, MO will be able to identify the source of your limitations in mobility and come up with a safe and effective treatment plan to improve your movement health. Beyond restorative 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 Grantwood Village, 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 Grantwood Village, 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 improve your movement health, you’ll also enjoy:
- Pain relief for both acute and chronic conditions without the need of painkillers or opioids
- Depending on the nature of your mobility limitations, the opportunity to avoid surgery by stimulating the body’s natural way of healing itself
- Patient 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 correct posture
- Motivating you to maintain an active lifestyle, which leads to enhanced energy, lowers your risk of heart disease, contributes to a healthy weight, improves your mood, and encourages your body to get a full 8 hours of sleep
Other services we offer in Grantwood Village, MO include:
- Soft Tissue Mobilization
- Post Surgical Rehabilitation
- 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
Mobility in Grantwood Village, MO | Axes Physical Therapy
Whether you are looking for hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to use a computer, are looking for meaningful pain management for sciatica, 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 practice a leads to positive patient outcomes. To get back your independence and active lifestyle, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or find the location nearest for you.
