Mobility in Wickes, MO. Our bodies are designed to be on the go. But sometimes, our mobility is impeded and it prevents us from the activities we love. While losing your independence because of losing your mobility also have an impact on our emotional well-being, Axes Physical Therapy in Wickes, MO can implement solutions that have been proven to get results and that are customized specifically to you, your age, and your desired activity level. No matter if your mobility limitations are the result of an injury, a degenerative condition, or a musculoskeletal problem such as sciatica, take the first steps in your best possible mobility and a pain-free daily life now by setting up a free evaluation with Axes today or calling the location nearest you.

The one definition of mobility is, “the ability to move… freely and easily.” For some Wickes, MO residents that is as simple as picking up their grandchildren 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 you can’t live the life you want pain-free consult with your doctor about professional physical therapy services.

Functional Mobility in Wickes, MO

Functional mobility refers to a person’s ability to safely and efficiently get around their home. This includes simple tasks such as comfortably laying down in bed each night or walking up a flight of stairs. Fundamentally, functional mobility is typically though of in three different ways:

1. Bed mobility — Whether or not you can to scoot, roll, and get in and out of bed with ease.
2. Transfers — Your ability to switch between places, for example from one chair to another.
3. Ambulation — If you can walk on your own while having objects in your hands.

If you currently need assistance to be functionally mobile, the Wickes, MO physical and occupational therapists at Axes are committed to getting your freedom back. 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 create a personalized plan that safely and correctly helps you reach the best possible movement health. We will guide you in strengthening, balance, and flexibility movements. We also offer vestibular therapy to help with vestibular disorders that cause dizziness and vertigo.

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

1. Complete independence, meaning you are able to complete a specified task safely and without taking an excessive amount of time
2. Modified independence, meaning you need a device such as crutches to complete the task
3. Stand-by assist, meaning you can perform the movement by yourself but need someone to monitor you to prevent risk of injury
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 perform about half of the work necessary
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 can complete less than 25% of the task, or that the activity is not safe to test

At Axes Physical Therapy in Wickes, MO, your personalized 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 thorough evaluation of your health to verify that the exercises we have in mind for you are safe for someone in your exact condition.

Beyond Functional Mobility in Wickes, MO

To be sure, many of us desire a higher level of movement health than just being to move between furniture comfortably. There are doubles to hit in your softball league, your children to play with, and the vocational tasks you need to carry out every day in order to provide for your Wickes, MO family. At Axes, our occupational and physical therapists can help any individual improve mobility they need to get back to the activities they love. We also offer:

• Occupational therapy — Our Wickes, 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 team up with you and your physician, insurance carrier, workers’ compensation lawyer and employer so you can get back to being an integral member of our Wickes, MO community and providing for your family as you always have. 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 any athlete is an unexpected pop or crack that keeps them inactive and limited for weeks, months, or longer. Our Wickes, 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 a matter of choice or a strong recommendation from a physician, we’ll work with your physician and surgeons to form a complete surgical team to ease your worry, and develop an effective strategy 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 Wickes, MO doctor about what physical therapy can do for you, or visit one of our locations for a complimentary injury screening from a clinically experienced physical or occupational therapist.

How a Physical Therapist in Wickes, MO Can Help Improve Your Mobility

The four tenets of mobility are our strength, flexibility, range of motion, and balance:

• Strength — While physical therapy is effective at rebuilding and maintaining strength, it also helps to make sure no muscle is stronger or weaker than it should be in relation to the muscles around it. Surrounding our joints with healthy and equally strong muscles is vital to preventing injury and reaching optimal movement health.
• Flexibility and range of motion — To improve our mobility to the highest level we can, our muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissue need to be able to lengthen so that the joints they control and protect can function at their highest level.
• Balance — Balance issues are usually due to:
  • Problems with vision
  • A vestibular issue, 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 Wickes, MO will determine what is causing your limitations in mobility and develop a treatment plan, based on empirical research to improve your movement health. In addition to restorative strength, flexibility, and core exercises, other evidence-backed techniques may include:

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

If necessary, a physical therapist in Wickes, MO can also create custom medically accepted assistive devices including splints, braces, crutches, or canes in order to aid you in your mobility and reduce risk of injury.

How Physical Therapy in Wickes, MO Helps Beyond Mobility

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

• Pain relief for both acute and chronic conditions without having to use costly and potentially habit forming prescription drugs
• In some cases, the opportunity to avoid surgery by motivating your body to heal on its own
• Patient education, including physical therapy techniques you can do in the comfort of your own home with no risk to injury, injury prevention techniques, and correct posture
• Motivating you to maintain an active lifestyle, which leads to enhanced energy, lowers your odds of developing cardiovascular disease, helps control weight, improves your mood, and promotes better sleep

Other services we offer in Wickes, MO include:

• Shin Splint Treatment
• Direct Access Physical Therapy
• Gait Analysis
• Pelvic Floor Therapy
• Dry Needling Near Me
• Tendonitis Treatment
• Manual Physical Therapy
• Orthopedic Rehab Near Me
• Beginner Running Program
• Chronic Pain Treatment

Mobility in Wickes, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

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