ACL Tear Greater Chesterfield, MO. ACL tears have a tremendous effect on your active routine and daily life. You go from having a blast in a sport or playing with your kids, to suddenly wondering whether you’ll get to play or even go to work again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Chesterfield, MO, we have dedicated our practice to restoring our patients’ mobility and returning them to the activities they love. Our ACL tear rehabilitation specialists work in tandem with you as a team and develop personalized, evidence-based treatment plans. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Chesterfield, MO, contact us online or locate the most convenient Axes location for you. We focus on getting every patient great results and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means burning corners in your local Chesterfield, MO flag football league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Chesterfield, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, pliable fibrous tissue that connect two bones. The ligaments in the knee help keep your knee stable by affixing your tibia (shinbone) to your femur (thigh bone). The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is in the center of your knee and crosses the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) so they make an “x”. The ACL and PCL work together to control the forward and backward motion of your knee, and the ACL impedes the tibia from gliding too far forward on the femur and provides 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. However significant your injury, trust in the Chesterfield, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you accomplish a complete recovery.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Chesterfield, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide each year, and it is one of the most frequent knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that entail frequent and rapid cutting and switching directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the vast majority 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 motion is disrupted just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven ground or landing with improper form
• Something or someone knocking into you
• Suddenly decelerating or changing direction
• Spinning with a firmly planted foot
• Sustaining a direct blow to the knee

Internal Factors

These are related to the structure and anatomy of the body. Examples include:

• 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 as well. 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 | Chesterfield, 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 significant pain except if other structural damage was done to the knee. Some indicators that you may have sustained an ACL tear are:

• Feeling or hearing a pop in your knee
• Inability to continue activity
• Rapid swelling
• Loss of range of motion
• Instability when bearing weight

If you suspect you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s necessary to see a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Chesterfield, MO to verify your injury and start the treatment you need to recover. We offer complimentary, no-obligation injury screenings and have a wide network of excellent doctors in Chesterfield, MO that we can refer you to. 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 | Chesterfield, MO Physical Therapy

It is imperative to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If you don’t, it can result in health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact you for the remainder of your life.

Directly following your ACL tear, you should use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to alleviate pain and swelling. In an examination, a doctor will assess your range of motion, and likely order an MRI or other tests to verify the ACL tear and judge the completeness and grade of your tear.

As there is no blood flow to the ligament, a complete ACL tear will not be able to regenerate by itself. That is why the aid of a licensed professional physical therapist is necessary to return to the activities you love. Surgery is the only means available to completely heal an ACL tear. So, surgery is often the best option for younger people, athletes who need a fully functioning ACL in order to play, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other serious damage to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in basic, everyday tasks. ACL surgery is generally 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 in place, your journey back to normalcy and the activities you love is still a long way from over. After surgery, you’ll probably be given crutches so you can get around for the next few weeks, as your quadriceps muscles will have weakened. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Chesterfield, MO to get you the best results for both your recovery and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will be by your side throughout your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. Our treatment methods will help to:

• Reduce pain and swelling
• Educate you on your injury and the rehab process
• Gradually and successfully get you back to bearing weight
• Provide you with a brace and teach you how to safely use it
• Do movement exercises and balance exercises to increase range of motion
• Perform strength exercises to return you to full 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 licensed Chesterfield, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will get you back to tearing up the local pick-up league, or just enjoying the ability to sit down and stand up without any pain.

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

Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can lead to permanent repercussions. Included in your treatment program in Chesterfield, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will help you understand the best practices that help to avoid another ACL tear down the line. We recommend some of the following steps to prevent further injury:

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

Our physical therapists dedicate themselves not only to retuning you to the things you love to do, but doing everything possible to ensure that you stay off the sidelines.

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

• 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

ACL Tear in Chesterfield, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be anxious 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 with you to design a proven, customized physical therapy plan to get you back to the basketball court, bowling alley, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.