ACL Tear Greater Barretts, MO. ACL tears can unexpectedly upset your active and daily routine. One second you’re flying down the field, playing your favorite sport or playing with your children, and the next moment you’re don’t know if you’ll get to play or even go back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Barretts, MO, we have devoted 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 concert with you as a team and put in place personalized, evidence-based treatment plans. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Barretts, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient great results and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means breaking defender’s ankles on a Barretts, MO basketball court, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Barretts, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, pliable fibrous tissue that attach two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to keep your knee stable by attaching 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 stabilize the front and back movement of your knee, and the ACL safeguards the tibia from moving too far forward on the femur and supplies rotational stability.

Most ACL tears are partial, but they can be completely torn as well. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your ability to bear weight and your movement will be affected. Regardless of how severe your injury, trust in the Barretts, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.

Why an ACL Tear Happens | Barretts, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States each year, and it is one of the most frequent knee injuries and sports injuries. Athletes who play contact sports and/or sports where there is a lot of cutting and changing direction are at high risk for ACL tears. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, almost three-quarters of ACL tears occur in non-contact injuries, such as changing direction rapidly, and the rest are caused by direct blunt force trauma. External and internal factors could both be at play when you suffer an ACL tear:

External Factors

These are when your motion is obstructed just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven footing or landing with improper form
• Colliding with something or someone
• A sudden reduction in speed or changing direction
• Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
• Sustaining a direct blow to the knee

Internal Factors

These have to do with the structure and anatomy of the body. Examples include:

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

While many ACL tears transpire in sports, they are also common in falls and work-related injuries. They can become more common as we age and our bodies weaken. Women are 4-6 times more likely to suffer an ACL tear, likely due to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Barretts, MO Physical Therapy

After an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain in the middle of the knee. You might not necessarily feel considerable pain after an ACL tear except if other constructive damage was done to the knee. Some signals that you might have torn your ACL are:

• A “popping” sensation or sound in your knee
• Inability to continue activity
• Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
• Loss of range of motion
• Not being able to put any weight on your knee

If you think you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s imperative to contact a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Barretts, MO to verify your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer no-cost, no strings attached injury screenings and know many trusted physicians in Barretts, MO that we can connect you with. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist, your doctor and medical providers, and you will join forces and work together to ensure your recovery is safe and efficient.

How to Treat an ACL Tear | Barretts, MO Physical Therapy

It is vital to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal don’t, it can cause health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect you for the remainder of 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 reduce pain and swelling. A doctor will then examine you, evaluate your range of motion, and likely order an MRI to confirm 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 get back to the activities you love. Surgery is the only means available to completely heal an ACL tear. So, surgery is often recommended for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed in order to play, patients with other significant injury to their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in basic, everyday tasks. ACL surgery is usually done by taking a graft from another tendon — either one of yours or a deceased donor’s — and then using small incisions to attach the graft to the femur and tibia.

Once the new ligament is attached, you still have a long way to go before you’ll feel fully back to normal. After surgery, you may need crutches to move around, as your quadriceps muscles will have weakened. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Barretts, MO to get you a positive outcome for both your physical rehabilitation and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will be by your side throughout your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been demonstrated to work. Our treatment methods will help to:

• Mitigate pain and swelling
• Educate you on your injury and the rehab process
• 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 range of motion
• Do strength exercises to return you to full strength
• Potentially use electrical stimulation as a supplement to the exercises

You have the best chance for a full recovery by actively participating in it and trusting the expert Barretts, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating the local pick-up league, or just enjoying the ability to climb stairs without feeling any instability in your knee.

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

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can have permanent repercussions. Included in your treatment program in Barretts, 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:

• Having a strong core
• Strengthen your hip and leg muscles
• Practice correct technique, for example landing evenly on both feet
• Stretch consistently
• Perform balance exercises
• Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
• Always wear appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists committed themselves not only to getting you back to the things you love to do, but doing everything possible to make certain that you stay off the sidelines.

Some of the other services we offer in Barretts, 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 Barretts, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be nervous about your what your life will look like in the future after suffering a severe injury. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, you probably want to get back to your normal, active lifestyle as quickly as possible. Trust in the experienced professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work alongside you to create a proven, personalized rehabilitation plan to return you to the basketball court, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free daily activities. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.