ACL Tear Greater Gilmore, MO. ACL tears can suddenly 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 Gilmore, 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 personalized, evidence-based treatment plans. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Gilmore, 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 burning corners in your local Gilmore, MO flag football league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Gilmore, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, flexible fibrous tissue that affix two bones. The ligaments in the knee help maintain stability in your knee by connecting 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 impedes the tibia from sliding too far forward on the femur and supplies rotational stability.

ACL tears can be either partial or complete. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your ability to bear weight and your movement will be affected. No Matter how severe your injury, trust in the Gilmore, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.

Why an ACL Tear Happens | Gilmore, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States every year, and it is one of the most frequent knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that call for frequent and fast cutting and changing directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to data from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the vast majority of ACL tears happen in non-contact injuries, such as cutting quickly, and the rest are due to 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 coordination is obstructed just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven ground or landing with improper form
• Something or someone bumping into you
• Suddenly decelerating or switching direction
• Spinning with a firmly planted foot
• Receiving a direct hit to the knee

Internal Factors

These concern the structure and anatomy of the body. Some examples are:

• The differences in anatomy between men and women
• Flexibility of the hamstring
• 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 sustain an ACL tear, likely because of anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Gilmore, MO Physical Therapy

When you sustain an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain at the center of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause sever pain except if other structural damage was done to the knee. Some indicators that you might have suffered an ACL tear include:

• A “popping” sensation in your knee
• Having to stop activity
• Rapid swelling
• Loss of range of motion
• Not being able to bear weight your knee

If you suspect you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s critical to visit a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Gilmore, MO to verify your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer complimentary, no strings attached injury screenings and know many trusted doctors in Gilmore, MO that we can connect you with. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist, your doctor and medical providers, and you will form a close team and work together to ensure your recovery is safe and efficient.

ACL Tear Treatments | Gilmore, MO Physical Therapy

It is vital to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If you delay, or your treatment is ineffective, it can lead to problems 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 alleviate pain and inflammation. In an examination, a doctor will assess your mobility, and likely order an MRI to confirm the ACL tear and gauge the severity of the injury.

Because blood does not flow to ligaments, 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 the best option for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed 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 tasks. ACL surgery is typically 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’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 Gilmore, MO to get you a positive outcome for both your physical rehabilitation and your surgery. 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 effectively 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 mobility
• Do strength exercises to return you to full 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 expert Gilmore, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to tearing up the local softball league, or just enjoying being able to to sit down and stand up without any pain.

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

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can result in life-long consequences. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Gilmore, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will help you understand the best practices that help 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 proper technique, for instance landing evenly on both feet
• Maintain flexibility
• Increase your balance
• Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
• Make sure you are using appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists devote themselves not only to getting you back to the activities you love, but doing what we can to ensure that you can carry on doing them without being disrupted by another injury.

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

It is normal to be nervous 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 experienced professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work with you to implement a proven, tailor-made rehabilitation plan to get you back to the basketball court, bowling alley, or just back to your normal, pain-free daily activities. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.