ACL Tear Greater Imperial, MO. ACL tears have an enormous effect on your active routine and daily life. One second you’re sprinting down the field, competing in your favorite sport or playing with your children, and the next moment you’re thinking about whether you’ll get to play or even go back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Imperial, MO, we have dedicated our practice to restoring our patients’ mobility and returning them to the activities they love. Our ACL tear rehabilitation specialists work in concert with you as a team and put in place tailored treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Imperial, MO, contact us online or locate the most convenient Axes location for you. Our priority is getting every patient positive results and getting you back to the things that matter most to you, whether that means breaking defender’s ankles on a Imperial, MO basketball court, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Imperial, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, pliable fibrous tissue that connect two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to 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 together to control the front and back movement of your knee, and the ACL safeguards the tibia from sliding 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 capacity to put weight on your knee and your movement will be affected. However significant your injury, trust in the Imperial, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Imperial, MO Physical Therapy

There are as many as 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States each year, and it is one of the most common knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that demand frequent and rapid cutting and switching directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, almost three-quarters of ACL tears occur 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 movement is disrupted just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven footing or landing awkwardly
• Colliding with something or someone
• Suddenly decelerating or changing direction
• Swiveling with a firmly planted foot
• Suffering a direct hit 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
• Flexibility of the hamstring
• Genetic variations

ACL tears don’t just occur in sports, falls and work-related injuries can hurt they ACL as well. 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 owing to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Imperial, MO Physical Therapy

When you sustain an ACL tear, the pain will likely be in the middle of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause significant pain except if other constructive damage was done to the knee. Some signals that you might have sustained an ACL tear are:

• Feeling or hearing a pop in your knee
• Inability to continue activity
• Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
• 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 important to reach out to a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Imperial, MO to diagnose your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer complimentary, no strings attached injury screenings and know many trusted physicians in Imperial, MO that we can connect you with. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist is an integral 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 | Imperial, MO Physical Therapy

It is imperative to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If you don’t, it can result in complications such as obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect 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 manage pain and swelling. A doctor will then examine you, assess your mobility, and likely order an MRI to confirm the ACL tear and evaluate the completeness and grade of your tear.

Because blood does not flow to ligaments, a complete ACL tear will not be able to heal by itself. This means that you will need the help of licensed professional physical therapists in order 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 with other serious injury to their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in 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 in place, 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 have weakened. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Imperial, 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. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

• Alleviate 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
• 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 return you to full strength
• Possibly 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 Imperial, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating the local softball league, or just enjoying being able to to sit down and stand up without your knee buckling.

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

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can result in life-long consequences. Included in your treatment program in Imperial, 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
• Having strong hip and leg muscles
• Practice correct technique, for instance keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
• Stretch consistently
• Increase your balance
• Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
• Make sure you are using appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists dedicate 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 Imperial, 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 Imperial, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be nervous about your prognosis and road to recovery 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 produce 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.