ACL Tear Greater Clarkson Valley, MO. ACL tears have an enormous effect on your active routine and daily life. One second you’re sprinting down the field, engaging in your favorite sport or playing with your children, and the next instant you’re thinking about whether you’ll get to play or even go to work again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Clarkson Valley, MO, we have devoted 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 suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Clarkson Valley, MO, contact us online or locate the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient positive results and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means breaking defender’s ankles on a Clarkson Valley, MO basketball court, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Clarkson Valley, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, pliable connective 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 stabilize the forward and backward motion of your knee, and the ACL prevents the tibia from slipping too far forward on the femur and supplies stability when the joint rotates.

ACL tears can be either partial or complete. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your ability to bear weight and range of motion will be lowered. However severe your injury, trust in the Clarkson Valley, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Clarkson Valley, 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. Athletes who play contact sports and/or sports where there is a lot of cutting and changing direction are the most likely to get ACL tears. According to reporting from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, almost three-quarters of ACL tears happen in non-contact injuries, such as cutting rapidly, and the rest are because of direct blunt force trauma. External and internal factors could both contribute to 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 with improper form
• Something or someone bumping into you
• A sudden reduction in speed or switching direction
• Swiveling with a firmly planted foot
• Suffering a direct blow 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
• How flexible the hamstring and other surrounding muscles are
• Differences in genetics

While many ACL tears occur 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 as a result of anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Clarkson Valley, MO Physical Therapy

After an ACL tear, the pain will likely be in the middle of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause sever pain unless other constructive damage was done to the knee. Some signals that you might have sustained 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 put any weight on your knee

If you suspect you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s vital to contact a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Clarkson Valley, MO to verify your injury and come up with the treatment plan you need to recover. We offer no-cost, no-obligation injury screenings and know many trusted physicians in Clarkson Valley, 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.

How to Treat an ACL Tear | Clarkson Valley, MO Physical Therapy

It is imperative to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal properly, it can lead to health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact your quality of 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 inflammation. In an examination, a doctor will assess your range of motion, and likely order an MRI to confirm the ACL tear and gauge the completeness and grade of your tear.

As there is no blood flow to the ligament, a complete ACL tear cannot regenerate by itself. 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 advisable for younger people, athletes who need a fully healthy ACL in order to perform, patients with other significant injury to their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes pain or weakness when carrying out basic, everyday activities. In an ACL surgery, a surgeon will remove the damaged 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 may need crutches to move around, as your quadriceps muscles will weaken from disuse. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Clarkson Valley, MO to get you the best results for both your recovery and your surgery. Our ACL tear physical therapy specialists will guide you through your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been proven to work. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

• Reduce 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
• Provide you with a brace and teach you how to safely use it
• Do movement exercises and balance exercises to return range of motion
• Perform strength exercises to increase strength
• Possibly utilize 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 licensed Clarkson Valley, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating the local softball league, or just enjoying the ability to climb stairs without your knee buckling.

How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Clarkson Valley, MO Physical Therapy

Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can lead to permanent repercussions. Included in your treatment program in Clarkson Valley, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will help you understand the best practices that help to avoid another ACL tear down the line. 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 keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
• Stretch consistently
• Increase your balance
• Always warm up before sports or other physical activities
• Always wear appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists devote themselves not only to retuning you to the activities you love, but doing everything possible to make sure that you stay off the sidelines.

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

It is normal to be apprehensive about your prognosis and road to recovery 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 produce a proven, personalized 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.