ACL Tear Greater Affton, MO. ACL tears have an enormous effect on your active routine and daily life. One moment you’re running down the court, engaging in your favorite sport or having fun with your kids, and the next second you’re thinking about whether you’ll get to play or even go to work again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Affton, MO, we have committed our practice to helping our patients regain their strength and mobility, and getting them back to the activities they love. Our ACL tear rehabilitation specialists work in tandem with you as a team and create tailored treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Affton, MO, contact us online or locate the most convenient Axes location for you. We dedicate ourselves to getting every patient a positive outcome and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means breaking defender’s ankles on a Affton, MO basketball court, or carrying your children on your shoulders without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Affton, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, flexible fibrous tissue that affix two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to keep your knee stable by connecting your tibia (shinbone) to your femur (thigh bone). The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, runs down the center of your knee and forms an “X” with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The ACL and PCL work together to control the forward and backward movement of your knee, and the ACL stops the tibia from sliding too far forward on the femur and supplies stability when the knee rotates.

Most ACL tears are partial, but they can be completely torn as well. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your capacity to bear weight and range of motion will be impacted. No Matter how serious your injury, trust in the Affton, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you reach a complete recovery.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Affton, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide annually, and it is one of the most common knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that require frequent and rapid cutting and changing directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, 70% of ACL tears happen in non-contact injuries, such as cutting quickly, and the rest are the result of direct blows to the knee. External and internal factors could both be at play when you suffer an ACL tear:

External Factors

These are when your movement is interrupted just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven ground or landing awkwardly
• Something or someone bumping into you
• Suddenly decelerating or changing direction
• Spinning with a firmly planted foot
• Suffering a direct hit to the knee

Internal Factors

These have to do with the structure and anatomy of the body. Some examples are:

• The anatomical differences between men and women
• Flexibility of the hamstring
• Genetic differences

ACL tears don’t just transpire in sports, falls and work-related injuries can harm they ACL too. The elderly are also at high risk, as our bodies degenerate as we age. Women are 4-6 times more likely to sustain an ACL tear, likely owing to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Affton, MO Physical Therapy

Following an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain at the center of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause considerable pain except if other parts of the knee were also injured. Some signs that you might have suffered an ACL tear include:

• Feeling or hearing a pop in your knee
• Not being able to continue activity
• Rapid swelling
• Reduction of range of motion
• Not being able to bear weight your knee

If you suspect you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s necessary to see a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Affton, MO to verify your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer complimentary, no-obligation injury screenings and work with many trusted doctors in Affton, MO that we can refer you to. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist is an essential part of your recovery team, working closely with you and your doctors and medical providers to collaborate on your safe and efficient recovery.

ACL Tear Treatments | Affton, MO Physical Therapy

It is imperative to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If you wait, or your treatment is ineffective, it can result in health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact how you live your life.

Directly following your ACL tear, it’s best to use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to manage pain and inflammation. In an examination, a doctor will evaluate your mobility, and likely order an MRI or other tests to verify the ACL tear and assess the completeness and grade of your tear.

Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, a complete ACL tear cannot regenerate on its own. That is why the aid of a licensed professional physical therapist is necessary to return to the activities you love. The only way to fully repair an ACL tear is through surgery. So, surgery is often the best option for younger people, athletes who need a fully healthy ACL in order to perform, patients with other serious damage to their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in basic, everyday tasks. In an ACL surgery, a surgeon will remove the torn ACL, take a graft from another one of your or a donors tendons, and use small incisions to attach it to the bones.

Once the new ligament is in place, you still have a long way to go before you’ll feel fully back to normal. After surgery, you’ll probably be given crutches so you can get around for the next few weeks, as your quadriceps muscles will weaken from disuse. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Affton, MO to optimize your recovery and the success of your surgery. Our ACL tear physical therapy professionals will be by your side throughout your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been demonstrated to work. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

• Alleviate pain and swelling
• Provide patient education so you understand your injury and why our methods work
• Gradually and successfully get you back to bearing weight
• Fit you for a brace and teach you how to safely use it
• Perform movement exercises and balance exercises to return mobility
• Do strength exercises to increase strength
• Possibly employ electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility

You have the best chance for a full recovery by actively participating in it and trusting the expert Affton, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating the local pickleball league, or just enjoying being able to to sit down and stand up without any pain.

How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Affton, MO Physical Therapy

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can cause permanent consequences. Included in your treatment program in Affton, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will educate you on how to avoid another ACL tear down the road. Some of the preventive methods you can take in order to prevent further injury are:

• Strengthen your core
• Strengthen your hip and leg muscles
• Practice correct technique, for instance keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
• Maintain flexibility
• Increase your balance
• Always warm up before sports or other physical activities
• Make sure you are using appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists devote themselves not only to getting you back to the things you love to do, but doing everything possible to make certain that you can continue doing them without being interrupted by another injury.

Some of the other services we offer in Affton, MO are:

• Neck Pain Treatment
• 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

ACL Tear in Affton, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be nervous about your prognosis and road to recovery after being seriously injured. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, you might be impatient to return to your active lifestyle and physical activities you value. Trust in the knowledgeable professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work alongside you to implement a proven, tailor-made physical therapy plan to get you back to the football field, bowling alley, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.