Mobility in St. Clair, MO. Our bodies are designed to move. But sometimes, our bodies don’t work the way they should and it keeps us from the activities we love. While losing your independence because of losing your mobility can affect our mental health as well, Axes Physical Therapy in St. Clair, MO can provide you with safe, effective, and proven treatment plans that are tailored specifically to you and your needs. Regardless of whether your mobility is limited because of acute trauma, a chronic condition, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal structure such as sciatica, begin your journey to optimal movement health and meaningful pain relief now by setting up an appointment with Axes today or calling the location nearest you.

The one definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some of us that may mean getting in and out of a chair comfortably, while others need to get back to making a diving catch in their softball league. Whatever it means to you, if you can’t live the life you want comfortable speak with a physician to see if physical therapy is the right choice for you.

Functional Mobility in St. Clair, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to complete daily tasks. This can be anything from moving around in bed or walking up a flight of stairs. In general, functional mobility is typically though of in three different ways:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you are able to to scoot, roll, and get in and out of bed comfortably.
2. Transfers — Your ability to move from one place to a different one, for example from a bed to a chair.
3. Ambulation — If you can walk on your own while having objects in your hands.

While the injury or condition affecting your functional mobility may mean that you currently rely on assistance in order to complete basic tasks, the St. Clair, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are devoted to helping you restore your autonomy. Whether the condition affecting you is a knee injury, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a central nervous system disorder like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll guide you through your journey to the best possible mobility. Part of your treatment will likely be simple and safe strengthening, balance, and flexibility training. 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 determine functional mobility in St. Clair, MO:

1. Complete independence, meaning you can move in a certain way safely 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. Supervision, meaning you can perform the movement by yourself but need someone next to you for safety
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 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 are unable to put in a quarter of the work required, or that even testing whether or not you can do it is not safe

At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Clair, MO, your personalized treatment plan may include gradually allowing you more and more independence until you get the highest level you can. All of our treatment plans are based on what research says works best for you, and at your first appointment with your professional physical therapist, they will perform a comprehensive examination of your health to confirm that the treatment modalities we have in mind for you are safe for someone suffering from the same ailment you are.

Beyond Functional Mobility in St. Clair, MO

Of course, simply being to move between chairs without limitations does not define optimal movement health for many of us. There are pickleball leagues to dominate, your children to play with, and the job-related tasks you need to carry out every day so that you can put food on the table for your St. Clair, 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. Our services also include:

• Occupational therapy — Our St. Clair, 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 contributing to our St. Clair, MO community and providing for your family as you always have. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to determine what activity level you can safely carry out.
• Sports therapy — The last thing anyone who loves playing sports wants to experience is a sudden pop or crack that keeps them inactive and limited for anywhere from a couple weeks to a year. Our St. Clair, MO physical therapy team knows how to help 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 avoid re-injury.
• Pre/post surgical rehabilitation — Surgery and your recovery from it are delicate matters that make anyone nervous. Whether your surgery is elective or medically necessary, we’ll work with your physician and surgeons to form a complete surgical team to help you feel confident in your treatment, and develop an effective plan of action to get the best possible outcome from your procedure.

Whatever the current level of mobility, and the level of movement health you desire, consult with your St. Clair, MO doctor about whether or not physical therapy is advisable, or visit one of our locations for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening from a professional physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in St. Clair, 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 achieve muscle balance. Having equal muscle balance around joints is crucial in preventing injury and improving your mobility.
• Flexibility and range of motion — To reach the movement health and lifestyle we desire, our muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissue need to be able to lengthen so that the joints they control and protect can function properly.
• Balance — Frequent causes of balance issues are:
  • Problems with eyesight
  • A vestibular condition, 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 St. Clair, MO will find the root of your limitations in mobility and come up with a treatment plan, based on evidence to improve your movement health. In addition to therapeutic 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 good posture education

If your doctor and therapy team agree, a physical therapist in St. Clair, MO can also mold your very own medically accepted assistive devices such as splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to best facilitate movement.

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

Physical therapy does more than just increase strength and flexibility. As we work to reach optimal movement health, you’ll also see the following benefits:

• 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
• In some cases, the opportunity to avoid surgery by motivating your body to heal on its own
• Mobility education, including exercises you can safely do at home, injury prevention techniques, and correct posture
• Encouraging better physical health, which leads to enhanced energy, decreases your risk of heart disease, helps control weight, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in St. Clair, MO include:

• Shoulder Pain
• Injury Prevention
• Knee Injury
• Joint Pain
• Sciatica
• Dry Needling
• ACL Tear
• Pain Management
• Rotator Cuff Tear

Mobility in St. Clair, 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 sciatica, 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 practice a leads to positive patient outcomes. To restore the level of mobility you deserve, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or find the location that works best for you.