ACL Tear Greater Hillsboro, MO. ACL tears can unexpectedly disrupt your active routine and daily life. One moment you’re sprinting down the field, taking part in your favorite sport or having fun with your kids, and the next instant you’re thinking about whether you’ll get to play or even go back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Hillsboro, MO, we have devoted our practice to helping our patients regain their strength and mobility, and getting them back to the activities they love. Our ACL tear rehabilitation specialists work with you as a team and put in place customize treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Hillsboro, MO, contact us online or find the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission 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 Hillsboro, MO basketball court, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Hillsboro, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, flexible connective tissue that connect two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to 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 concert to stabilize the front and back movement of your knee, and the ACL stops the tibia from moving too far forward on the femur and supplies 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 your movement will be affected. No Matter how severe your injury, trust in the Hillsboro, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you accomplish a complete recovery.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Hillsboro, MO Physical Therapy

There are as many as 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States annually, and it is one of the most frequent knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that demand frequent and fast cutting and switching 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 changing direction quickly, and the rest are due to 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 obstructed just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven footing or landing with improper form
• Colliding with something or someone
• A sudden reduction in speed or switching direction
• Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
• Suffering a direct blow to the knee

Internal Factors

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

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

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Hillsboro, MO Physical Therapy

When you suffer an ACL tear, the pain will likely be in the middle of the knee. You might not necessarily feel considerable pain after an ACL tear unless other structural damage was done to the knee. Some indicators that you might have torn your ACL are:

• A “popping” sensation or sound in your knee
• Inability 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 critical to contact a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Hillsboro, MO to confirm your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer complimentary, no strings attached injury screenings and work with many trusted doctors in Hillsboro, 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 | Hillsboro, MO Physical Therapy

It is important to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal properly, it can result in health conditions such as obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect you for the remainder of your life.

Immediately after your ACL tear, you should use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to alleviate 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 judge the extent of the injury.

As there is no blood flow to the ligament, a complete ACL tear will not be able to regenerate on its own. This means that you will need the help of licensed professional physical therapists in order to get back to the activities you love. Surgery is the only means available to completely heal an ACL tear. So, surgery is often recommended 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 activities. 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 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 Hillsboro, MO to optimize your recovery and the success of your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy professionals will guide you through your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. Our treatment methods will help to:

• Mitigate pain and swelling
• Educate you on your injury and the rehab process
• Gradually and successfully get you back to bearing weight
• Fit you for 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
• Possibly use electrical stimulation as a supplement to the exercises

When you work with the knowledgeable Hillsboro, 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 the ability to sit down and stand up without any pain.

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

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can cause permanent consequences. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Hillsboro, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will help you understand the best practices that help to avoid another ACL tear later on. We recommend some of the following steps to prevent further injury:

• Strengthen your core
• Having strong hip and leg muscles
• Practice correct technique, for example always landing with your feet directly over your knee
• 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 can carry on doing them without being disrupted by another injury.

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

• Back Pain Treatment
• 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

ACL Tear in Hillsboro, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be anxious 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 experienced professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work in concert with you to create a proven, personalized rehabilitation plan to get you back to the basketball court, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.