Mobility in West Alton, MO. Our bodies are built to to make walking and other movements easy. But sometimes, our bodies don’t work the way they should and it impedes us from doing what we love most. While experiencing pain and other factors that affect mobility affects us in more ways than just physically, Axes Physical Therapy in West Alton, MO offers safe, effective, and evidence-backed treatment plans that are tailored specifically to you, your age, and your desired activity level. Regardless of whether your mobility is limited because of an injury, a degenerative condition, or an impairment in your musculoskeletal skeleton such as sciatica, begin your journey to optimal mobility and a pain-free daily life as soon as possible by setting up an appointment with Axes today or calling the location nearest you.

The dictionary definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some West Alton, MO residents that looks like picking up their grandchildren without pain, while for others it may mean making a diving catch in their softball league. Whatever mobility means to you, if your mobility is severely restricted speak with a physician to see if physical therapy is the right choice for you.

Functional Mobility in West Alton, MO

Functional mobility is the capacity one has to complete basic tasks. This can be simple tasks such as comfortably laying down in bed each night or carrying a cup of coffee to the living room and sitting on the couch. Fundamentally, functional mobility can be broken down into three categories:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you can 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 surfaces, for example from a bed to a chair.
3. Ambulation — Your ability to walk freely without the need of assistance. This also includes walking while being able to carry objects.

If you currently need assistance to be functionally mobile, the West Alton, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are devoted to getting your autonomy 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 guide you through your journey to optimal mobility. Most treatment plans include strengthening, balance, and flexibility movements. We also offer vestibular therapy for people who have a debilitating vestibular disorder.

West Alton, MO physical therapists often rely on the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) of seven levels to assess someone’s functional mobility:

1. Complete independence, meaning you are able to 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. Stand-by assist, meaning you can perform the movement by yourself but need someone to monitor you so you don’t hurt yourself
4. Minimal assistance, meaning you can exert 75% of the effort needed to complete the task or more while a physical therapist helps you the rest of the way
5. Moderate assistance, meaning you can exert half of the effort needed
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 can complete less than 25% of the task, or that the activity is not safe to test

At Axes Physical Therapy in West Alton, 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 treatment plans are based on what research says works best for you, and your dedicated physical therapist will begin your mobility treatment with a thorough examination of your health to confirm that the treatment modalities we use are safe for someone in your exact condition.

Beyond Functional Mobility in West Alton, MO

Needless to say, many of us desire a higher level of movement health than just walking up the stairs without assistance. There are doubles to hit in your softball league, fun activities to share with your family, and the job-related tasks you need to perform every day in order to earn a living for your West Alton, 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 West Alton, 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 helping our West Alton, MO community and supporting your family as you want to. Our advanced work rehabilitation includes Functional Capacity Evaluations to ascertain if you are ready to return to your job.
• Sports therapy — Every athletes worst nightmare is an unexpected fall or collision that sidelines them and keeps them from what they love for anywhere from a couple weeks to a year. Our West Alton, 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 and your recovery from it are delicate matters that make anyone nervous. Whether your surgery is elective or medically necessary, we’ll team up with the doctors recommending and performing your surgery to give you piece of mind, and formulate a successful plan of action 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 West Alton, MO doctor about whether or not physical therapy is advisable, or visit one of our locations for a free injury screening from a clinically experienced physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in West Alton, 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. Achieving equal muscle balance around joints is crucial 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 include:
  • Vision issues
  • A vestibular issue, or a problem in your inner ear
  • Your proprioceptive system, or the network between your sensory receptors and your nervous system

An experienced physical therapist in West Alton, MO will determine what is causing your limitations in mobility and come up with a treatment plan, based on empirical research to get you back to the activities you love. In addition to 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 good posture

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

How Physical Therapy in West Alton, 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. As we work to reach optimal movement health, you’ll also enjoy:

• Pain relief, whether from an injury or pain that is chronic in nature without the need of prescription medications
• If applicable, the potential to avoid a surgical procedure by stimulating the body’s own healing methods
• Movement health education, including physical therapy techniques you can safely do at home, injury prevention techniques, and correct posture
• Encouraging better physical health, carries with it the benefits of enhanced 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 West Alton, 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 West Alton, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

Whether you are looking for hand therapy in order to make it easier for you to do basic things around the house, are looking for meaningful pain management for arthritis, 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 works best for you. We practice a client-centered approach. To restore the level of mobility you deserve, request an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today or call the location nearest for you.