ACL Tear Fenton, MO

ACL Tear Greater Fenton, MO. ACL tears can unexpectedly disrupt your active routine and daily life. One moment you’re flying down the court, playing your favorite sport or having fun with your kids, and the next second you’re don’t know if you’ll get to play or even go back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Fenton, MO, we have committed 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 design customize, empirically-backed treatment plans. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Fenton, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. Our priority 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 Fenton, MO basketball court, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Fenton, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, pliable connective tissue that attach two bones. The ligaments in the knee help maintain stability in your knee by attaching 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 tandem to stabilize the forward and backward movement of your knee, and the ACL stops the tibia from moving too far forward on the femur and provides stability when the knee 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. Regardless of how significant your injury, trust in the Fenton, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Fenton, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States annually, 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 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 the result of direct blows to the knee. External and internal factors could both be at play when you sustain an ACL tear:

External Factors

These are when your coordination is obstructed immediately before the injury. Some examples are:

Landing on uneven ground or landing awkwardly
Something or someone bumping into you
Instantly decelerating or changing direction
Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
Sustaining a direct hit to the knee

Internal Factors

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

The differences in anatomy between men and women
How flexible the hamstring and other surrounding muscles are
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 because of anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Fenton, MO Physical Therapy

Following an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain at the center of the knee. You might not necessarily feel considerable pain after an ACL tear unless other constructive damage was done to the knee. Some signs that you might have torn your ACL include:

A “popping” sensation or sound in your knee
Not being able 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 suspect you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s critical to reach out to a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Fenton, MO to diagnose your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer free, no-obligation injury screenings and work with many excellent doctors in Fenton, 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 Therapy Fenton, MO | Physical and Occupational Therapy Near Fenton

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

It is imperative to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal properly, it can cause health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect how you live your life.

Immediately after your ACL tear, it’s best to use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to mitigate pain and swelling. A doctor will then examine you, assess your range of motion, and likely order an MRI or other tests to verify the ACL tear and gauge the completeness and grade of your tear.

Because blood does not flow to ligaments, 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. Surgery is the only means available to completely heal an ACL tear. So, surgery is often advisable for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed in order to perform, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other serious damage to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes pain or weakness when performing basic, everyday tasks. In an ACL surgery, a surgeon will remove the injured 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 attached, you still have a long way to go before you’ll feel fully back to normal. After surgery, you’ll probably 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 Fenton, MO to get you a positive outcome for both your physical rehabilitation and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will guide you through your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been demonstrated to work. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

Mitigate pain and swelling
Educate you on your injury and the rehab process
Gradually and effectively allow you to put weight on your knee again
Provide you with a brace and teach you how to safely use it
Do movement exercises and balance exercises to increase range of motion
Do strength exercises to return you to full strength
Possibly utilize electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility

When you work with the experienced Fenton, MO area physical therapists of Axes and take an active role in your recovery, you have the greatest chance of a complete and efficient recovery. Before you know it, we will get you back to dominating the local softball league, or just enjoying being able to to climb stairs without your knee buckling.

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

Unfortunately, many people suffer a second ACL tear and they can result in life-long consequences. Included in your treatment program in Fenton, 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
Having strong hip and leg muscles
Practice correct technique, for instance keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
Stretch consistently
Perform balance exercises
Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
Always wear appropriate footwear

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

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

ACL Tear in Fenton, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be apprehensive about your your future after suffering a severe injury. 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 in concert with you to implement a proven, customized rehabilitation plan to return you 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.