ACL Tear Greater Farmington, MO. ACL tears can unexpectedly upset 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 Farmington, 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 with you as a team and put in place personalized treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Farmington, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. Our priority is getting every patient a positive outcome and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means running the bases in your local Farmington, MO league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Farmington, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, pliable connective tissue that attach two bones. The ligaments in the knee help maintain stability in your knee 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 in concert to stabilize the front and back motion of your knee, and the ACL safeguards the tibia from gliding 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 capacity to put weight on your knee and range of motion will be reduced. However significant your injury, trust in the Farmington, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Farmington, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States every year, 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 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 cutting quickly, and the rest are the result of direct blunt force trauma. External and internal factors could both be at play when you sustain an ACL tear:

External Factors

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

• Landing on uneven footing or landing awkwardly
• Colliding with something or someone
• Instantly decelerating or switching direction
• Swiveling 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 knee and legs. Some examples are:

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

While many ACL tears happen 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 sustain an ACL tear, likely due to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Farmington, MO Physical Therapy

Following an ACL tear, the pain will likely be at the center of the knee. You might not necessarily feel significant pain after an ACL tear except if other parts of the knee were also injured. Some indicators that you may have torn your ACL are:

• Feeling or hearing a pop in your knee
• Not being able to continue activity
• Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
• Loss of range of motion
• Instability when putting weight on your knee

If you think you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s crucial to contact a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Farmington, MO to confirm your injury and start the treatment you need to recover. We offer free, no-obligation injury screenings and work with many excellent doctors in Farmington, MO that we can refer you to. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist is an indispensable 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 | Farmington, 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 cause problems like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact you for the remainder of your life.

In the minutes after your ACL tear, you should use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to reduce pain and inflammation. A doctor will then examine you, evaluate your range of motion, and likely order an MRI or other tests to verify the ACL tear and evaluate the extent of the injury.

Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, a complete ACL tear cannot heal by itself. 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 necessary for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed in order to perform, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other significant injury to their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes pain or weakness when performing 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 in place, your journey back to normalcy and the activities you love is still a long way from over. After surgery, you’ll likely 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 Farmington, MO to optimize your recovery and the success of your surgery. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will work with you throughout your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

• Mitigate pain and swelling
• Provide patient education so you understand your injury and why our methods work
• Gradually and successfully allow you to put weight on your knee again
• Fit you for a brace and teach you how to safely use it
• Perform movement exercises and balance exercises to return mobility
• Perform strength exercises to increase strength
• Potentially implement 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 Farmington, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will get you back to dominating the local softball league, or just enjoying the ability to climb stairs without your knee buckling.

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

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can have life-long repercussions. Included in your treatment program in Farmington, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will educate you on how to avoid another ACL tear down the line. We recommend some of the following steps to prevent further injury:

• Having a strong core
• Having strong 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 dedicate themselves not only to retuning you to the activities you love, but doing everything possible to make certain that you stay off the sidelines.

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

It is normal to be nervous about your what your life will look like in the future 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, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.