Mobility in St. Charles, MO. Our bodies are designed to to make walking and other movements easy. But sometimes, our mobility is impeded and it keeps us from the activities we love. While losing your independence because of losing your mobility affects us in more ways than just physically, Axes Physical Therapy in St. Charles, MO can provide you with safe, effective, and proven treatment plans that are built specifically to you and your needs. Whether your mobility is limited because of acute trauma, a disease, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal skeleton such as sciatica, begin your journey to your best possible movement health and comfort now by scheduling a mobility and injury analysis 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 St. Charles, MO residents that is as simple as rolling over in bed comfortably, while others need to get back to serving an ace on the tennis court. Whatever you need to improve your movement health for, if your mobility is severely restricted consult with your doctor to see if physical therapy is the right choice for you.

Functional Mobility in St. Charles, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to complete basic tasks. This includes simple tasks such as comfortably laying down in bed each night or walking up a flight of stairs. Fundamentally, functional mobility can be broken down into three categories:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you are able to to easily move around in bed, including rolling, scooting, sitting up, and lying down.
2. Transfers — Whether or not you are able to switch between places, for example from a bed to a chair.
3. Ambulation — If you can walk on your own while having objects in your hands.

If you cannot currently complete some or all of the activities above without a person or assistive device helping you, the St. Charles, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are dedicated to getting your autonomy back. Whether the condition affecting you is a sports injuryan rotator cuff tear tear, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a central nervous system disorder like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll design a tailor-made plan that has been proven to help people like you return to the best possible movement health. We will guide you in strengthening, balance, and flexibility training. We also offer vestibular therapy for people who have a debilitating vestibular disorder.

St. Charles, 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 move in a certain way without risk of injury and in a relatively normal amount of time
2. Modified independence, meaning you can perform certain movements but only with an assistive device
3. Supervision, meaning you can perform the movement independently but need someone standing by so you don’t hurt yourself
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can do 75% or more while someone else does the rest
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can exert half of the effort needed
6. Maximal assistance, meaning you can complete about 25% of the task without assistance
7. Total assistance or not testable, meaning you are unable to put in 25% of the effort required, or that even testing whether or not you can do it carries the risk of injury

At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Charles, MO, your tailor-made treatment plan may include safely taking you from the first level to the highest level you are able to achieve. All of our treatment plans 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 suffering from the same ailment you are.

Beyond Functional Mobility in St. Charles, MO

Obviously, simply walking up the stairs comfortably does not define optimal movement health for many of us. There are pickleball leagues to dominate, your pets to pick up, and the vocational tasks you need to carry out every day so that you can earn a living for your St. Charles, MO family. At Axes, we offer comprehensive physical and occupational physical therapy that can help any athlete, worker, or family member achieve the activity level they desire. We also offer:

• Occupational therapy — Our St. Charles, MO occupational therapists are crucial 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 St. Charles, MO community and supporting your family as you want to. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to determine 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 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 St. Charles, 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 also specialize in injury prevention to help you avoid re-injury.
• 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 proven game plan to get the best possible outcome from your procedure.

However limited you currently are in your mobility, and lifestyle you are trying to get back to, consult with your St. Charles, 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 professional physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in St. Charles, 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 crucial in preventing injury and reaching optimal movement health.
• Flexibility and range of motion — To achieve optimal movement health, 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 usually caused by:
  • Vision issues
  • A vestibular disorder, or something in your inner ear
  • Your proprioceptive system, or the network between your sensory receptors and your nervous system

A professional physical therapist in St. Charles, MO will determine what is causing your limitations in mobility and develop a safe and effective treatment plan to get you back to the activities you love. 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 teaching correct posture

If your doctor and therapy team agree, a physical therapist in St. Charles, MO can also fit you for medically accepted assistive devices including splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to help you achieve the best possible mobility.

How Physical Therapy in St. Charles, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

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

• Pain relief, whether from an injury or pain that is chronic in nature without having to use prescription medications
• In some cases, the opportunity to avoid a surgical procedure by motivating your body to heal on its own
• Movement health 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 correct posture
• Encouraging you to maintain an active lifestyle, carries with it the benefits of increased energy, lowers your odds of developing heart disease, contributes to a healthy weight, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in St. Charles, 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 St. Charles, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you need hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to type, are looking for meaningful pain management for joint problems, 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 find the location nearest for you.