Mobility in Imperial, MO. Our bodies are built to to make walking and other movements easy. But sometimes, our mobility is impeded and it impedes 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 Imperial, MO offers safe, effective, and proven treatment plans that are built specifically to you, your age, and your desired activity level. Regardless of whether your mobility limitations are the result of acute trauma, a chronic condition, or a musculoskeletal issue such as sciatica, take the first steps in optimal mobility and comfort now by requesting a free evaluation with Axes today or calling the location nearest you.

The dictionary defines mobility as, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some people that may mean picking up their grandchildren without pain, while for others it may mean serving an ace on the tennis court. Whatever mobility means to you, if you can’t live the life you want pain-free speak with your doctor about professional physical therapy services.

Functional Mobility in Imperial, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to safely move around in their home environment. This includes anything from rolling over in bed or carrying a cup of coffee to the living room and sitting down. Fundamentally, functional mobility can be broken down into three categories:

1. Bed mobility — Your ability to comfortably move around in bed, including rolling, scooting, sitting up, and lying down.
2. Transfers — Whether or not you are able to move from one surface to a different one, for example from a chair, bed, or sofa 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 affecting your functional mobility may mean that you currently rely on assistance in order to operate in your daily life, the Imperial, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are dedicated to getting your self-sufficiency back. 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 design a tailor-made plan that safely and correctly helps you reach the best possible movement health. We will guide you in strengthening, balance, and flexibility training. We also offer vestibular therapy to help with vestibular disorders that cause sensory dysfunction.

Imperial, MO physical therapists often utilize 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 relatively normal amount of time
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 independently but need someone to monitor you to prevent risk of injury
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can exert 75% of the work needed to complete the task or more while a physical therapist does the rest
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can exert half of the effort necessary
6. Maximal assistance, meaning you can put in a quarter of the work of the task independently
7. Total assistance or not testable, meaning you are unable to put in a quarter of the work required, or that the activity is not safe to test

At Axes Physical Therapy in Imperial, MO, your personalized treatment plan may include safely allowing you more and more independence until you get the highest level you can. All of our methods are based on what research says can improve your mobility, and at your first appointment with your professional physical therapist, they will perform a comprehensive 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 Imperial, MO

Obviously, many of us desire a higher level of movement health than just rolling over in bed without limitations. There are doubles to hit in your softball league, your pets to pick up, and the vocational tasks you need to carry out every day in order to provide for your Imperial, MO family. At Axes, our occupational and physical therapists 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 Imperial, 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 being an integral member of our Imperial, MO community and supporting your family as you always have. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to determine what functional capacities you are capable of.
• Sports therapy — The last thing any athlete wants to experience is a sudden injury that sidelines them and keeps them from what they love for anywhere from a couple weeks to a year. Our Imperial, 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 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 a successful strategy to get the best possible outcome from your procedure.

However limited you currently are in your mobility, and the level of improved mobility you desire, consult with your Imperial, MO doctor about whether or not physical therapy is a good option for you, or visit one of our locations for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening from a licensed physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in Imperial, 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 helps achieve muscle balance. Having equal muscle balance around joints is imperative 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, 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:
  • Vision issues
  • A vestibular issue, or a problem in your inner ear
  • Your proprioceptive system, the sense of awareness ingrained in our muscles and joints

A licensed physical therapist in Imperial, MO will be able to identify the source of your mobility issues and come up with a treatment plan, based on empirical research to improve your movement health. In addition to restorative strength, flexibility, and core exercises, We can help you improve your mobility with:

• 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 Imperial, MO can also create custom medically accepted assistive devices including splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to aid you in your mobility and reduce risk of injury.

How Physical Therapy in Imperial, 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. Your personalized treatment plans:

• Pain relief, whether from an injury or pain that is chronic in nature without needing to depend on costly and potentially habit forming prescription drugs
• If applicable, the potential to avoid surgery by motivating your body to heal on its own
• Patient education, including physical therapy techniques you can do in the comfort of your own home with no risk to injury, injury prevention techniques, and correct posture
• Motivating better physical health, carries with it the benefits of increased energy, lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease, contributes to a healthy weight, makes you feel better, and encourages your body to get a full 8 hours of sleep

Other services we offer in Imperial, MO include:

• Neck Pain Treatment
• 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

Mobility in Imperial, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you are looking for hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to write, are looking for meaningful pain management for joint problems, 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 is safe and affective. We employ a client-centered approach. To restore the level of mobility you deserve, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or reach out to the location that works best for you.