Mobility in Potosi, MO. Our bodies are designed to to make walking and other movements easy. But sometimes, our bodies don’t work the way they should and it keeps us from the activities we love. While experiencing pain and other factors that affect mobility can affect our mental health as well, Axes Physical Therapy in Potosi, MO can create safe, effective, and proven treatment plans that are built specifically to you, your age, and your desired activity level. Regardless of whether your mobility is limited because of an injury, a disease, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal structure such as sciatica, start on the road back to optimal movement health and meaningful pain relief now by requesting a mobility and injury analysis with Axes today or calling the the one of our multiple locations nearest you.

The one definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some Potosi, MO residents that looks like getting in and out of a chair without pain, 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 pain-free speak with a physician about professional physical therapy services.

Functional Mobility in Potosi, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to complete basic tasks. 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:

1. Bed mobility — Your ability to scoot, roll, and get in and out of bed with ease.
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.

If you currently need assistance to be functionally mobile, the Potosi, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are dedicated to helping you regain your independence. 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 guide you through your journey to 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 staple of how to evaluate functional mobility in Potosi, MO:

1. Complete independence, meaning you can achieve specific mobility thresholds without assistance and in a timely manner
2. Modified independence, meaning you can perform certain movements but only with an assistive device
3. Supervision, meaning you can complete the task by yourself but need someone standing by to prevent risk of injury
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can do 75% or more while someone else helps you the rest of the way
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 without assistance
7. Total assistance or not testable, meaning you can complete less than 25% of the task, or that even testing whether or not you can do it carries the risk of injury

At Axes Physical Therapy in Potosi, 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 your dedicated physical therapist will begin your mobility treatment with a thorough evaluation of your health to confirm that the exercises we have in mind for you are safe for someone in your exact condition.

Beyond Functional Mobility in Potosi, MO

Obviously, simply walking up the stairs independently does not define optimal movement health for many of us. There are fast breaks to run, your pets to play with, and the vocational tasks you need to carry out every day so that you can earn a living for your Potosi, MO family. At Axes, our occupational and physical therapists can help any individual achieve the activity level they desire. We also offer:

• Occupational therapy — Our Potosi, MO occupational therapists are crucial to your return to work 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 Potosi, MO community and supporting your family as you want to. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to ascertain if you can safely go back to work either fully or at some level.
• Sports therapy — Every athletes worst nightmare is an unexpected pop or crack that keeps them off the field or court for anywhere from a couple weeks to a year. If you suffer an ACL tear, rotator cuff tear, or other sports injury, Axes Physical Therapy in Potosi, 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 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 work with your physician and surgeons to form a complete surgical team to ease your worry, and develop a successful strategy 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 Potosi, MO doctor about whether or not physical therapy is a good option for you, or come see us for a complimentary injury screening from a clinically experienced physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in Potosi, 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 achieve muscle balance. Surrounding our joints with healthy and equally strong muscles is vital to preventing injury and improving your mobility.
• 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, 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 include:
  • Vision issues
  • 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

An experienced physical therapist in Potosi, MO will find the root of your limitations in mobility and develop a safe and effective treatment plan to improve your movement health. Beyond restorative strength, flexibility, and core exercises, your treatment plan may also include:

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

If your doctor and therapy team agree, a physical therapist in Potosi, MO can also fit you for 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 Potosi, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

Physical therapy does more than just increase strength and flexibility. 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
• Depending on the nature of your mobility limitations, the opportunity to avoid a surgical procedure by encouraging the body’s natural way of healing itself
• Mobility 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
• Encouraging you to maintain an active lifestyle, carries with it the benefits of enhanced energy, lowers your odds of developing heart 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 Potosi, 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 Potosi, 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 sciatica, or want to return to your active lifestyle following acute trauma, Axes’ team of licensed physical and occupational therapists is here to help you get back to what you love doing most. We practice 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.