Mobility in Valley Park, MO. Our bodies are built to move. But sometimes, we sustain an injury or other condition that keeps us from our favorite activities, or even just being able to carry out or daily live comfortably. While losing your independence because of losing your mobility affects us in more ways than just physically, Axes Physical Therapy in Valley Park, MO offers treatment plans that have been proven to be successful and that are tailored specifically to you and your needs. Whether your mobility limitations are the result of acute trauma, a degenerative condition, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal structure such as sciatica, start on the road back to your best possible mobility and a pain-free daily life as soon as possible by requesting a mobility and injury analysis 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 looks like picking up their kids comfortably, while others have more active lifestyle desires like 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 comfortable consult with your doctor to see if physical therapy is the right choice for you.

Functional Mobility in Valley Park, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to safely and efficiently get around their home. This includes simple tasks such as getting in and out of bed or getting in and out of the shower safely. In general, functional mobility can be broken down into three categories:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you are able to 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 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 impeding your functional mobility may mean that you currently rely on assistance in order to operate in your daily life, the Valley Park, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are dedicated to helping you restore your autonomy. Whether the condition affecting you is an ACL tear, arthritis or other joint pain, or even a central nervous system disorder like Parkinson’s disease, we’ll guide you through your journey to optimal mobility. We will guide you in strengthening, balance, and flexibility exercises. Our therapists are also specialists vestibular therapy to help with vestibular disorders that cause sensory dysfunction.

The seven level Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is the main way to determine functional mobility in Valley Park, MO:

1. Complete independence, meaning you can achieve specific mobility thresholds without assistance and without taking an excessive amount of time
2. Modified independence, meaning you need a device such as a walker to complete the task
3. Supervision, meaning you can perform the movement independently but need someone standing by for safety
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can exert 75% of the work needed to complete the task or more while a physical therapist helps you the rest of the way
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can perform about half of the work necessary
6. Maximal assistance, meaning you can complete about 25% of the task yourself
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 is not safe

At Axes Physical Therapy in Valley Park, MO, your customized treatment plan may include safely taking you up through the seven levels, or at least to the highest level possible. 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 thorough evaluation of your health to verify that the exercises we have in mind for you are safe for someone suffering from the same ailment you are.

Beyond Functional Mobility in Valley Park, MO

Obviously, many of us desire a higher level of movement health than just walking up the stairs comfortably. There are doubles to hit in your softball league, your children to pick up, and the occupational tasks of the job you carry out every day so that you can earn a living for your Valley Park, MO family. At Axes, our occupational and physical therapists can help any athlete, worker, or family member reach the optimal movement health they need to get back to the activities they love. We also offer:

• Occupational therapy — Our Valley Park, MO occupational therapists are an essential part of getting you back to work after a work-related injury. We team up with you and your physician, insurance carrier, attorney and employer so you can get back to contributing to our Valley Park, 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 — Every athletes worst nightmare is a sudden injury that keeps them inactive and limited for weeks, months, or longer. Our Valley Park, 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 is a complex and nerve-racking procedure for anyone. 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 formulate a successful strategy to restore optimal mobility.

However limited you currently are in your mobility, and the level of movement health you desire, consult with your Valley Park, 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 no-risk, no-obligation injury screening from a qualified physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in Valley Park, 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 to make sure no muscle is stronger or weaker than it should be in relation to the muscles around it. Achieving proportionately strong muscles around joints is imperative in 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

A professional physical therapist in Valley Park, MO will determine what is causing 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 correct posture education

If required, a physical therapist in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

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

• Pain relief for both acute and chronic conditions without the need of painkillers or opioids
• In some cases, the opportunity to avoid surgery by motivating your body to heal on its own
• Mobility education, including physical therapy techniques you can do in the comfort of your own home with no risk to injury, injury prevention techniques, and the best postures for improved mobility
• Motivating you to maintain an active lifestyle, carries with it the benefits of increased energy, lowers your odds of developing cardiovascular disease, contributes to a healthy weight, makes you feel better, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you are looking for hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to open jars, are in need of 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 take 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.