ACL Tear Greater Kampville, MO. ACL tears have a tremendous effect on your active routine and daily life. One second you’re sprinting down the court, competing in your favorite sport or playing with your kids, and the next second you’re wondering if you’ll get to play or even go to work again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Kampville, 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 in tandem with you as a team and put in place tailored, empirically-backed treatment plans. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Kampville, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. We dedicate ourselves to 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 Kampville, MO league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Kampville, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, flexible connective tissue that connect two bones. The ligaments in the knee help keep your knee stable by connecting your tibia (shinbone) to your femur (thigh bone). The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, runs down the center of your knee and forms an “X” with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The ACL and PCL work in tandem to control the forward and backward motion of your knee, and the ACL impedes the tibia from moving too far forward on the femur and provides stability when the joint rotates.

Most ACL tears are partial, but they can be completely torn as well. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your ability to bear weight and range of motion will be reduced. Regardless of how severe your injury, trust in the Kampville, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Kampville, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide every year, 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 the most likely to get ACL tears. 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 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 interrupted immediately before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven ground or landing with improper form
• Something or someone knocking into you
• Suddenly decelerating or changing direction
• Spinning 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. Examples include:

• The differences in anatomy between men and women
• How flexible the hamstring and other surrounding muscles are
• Genetic variations

ACL tears don’t just occur in sports, falls and work-related injuries can harm they ACL too. 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 | Kampville, MO Physical Therapy

When you suffer an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain in the middle of the knee. You might not necessarily feel sever pain after an ACL tear unless other parts of the knee were also injured. Some indicators that you may have torn your ACL are:

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

If you think you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s imperative to visit a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Kampville, MO to confirm your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer free, no strings attached injury screenings and know many excellent doctors in Kampville, MO that we can connect you with. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist, your doctor and medical providers, and you will join forces and work together to ensure your recovery is safe and efficient.

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

It is vital to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal properly, it can lead to health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact your quality of life.

In the minutes 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. A doctor will then examine you, assess your range of motion, and likely order an MRI to verify the ACL tear and evaluate the severity of the injury.

As there is no blood flow to the ligament, a complete ACL tear will not be able to heal by itself. 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 with other significant 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 damaged 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 in place, your journey back to normalcy and the activities you love is still a long way from over. After surgery, you’ll probably 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 Kampville, MO to optimize your recovery and the success of your surgery. Our ACL tear physical therapy specialists will lead you through your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been proven to work. Our treatment methods will help to:

• Reduce 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
• 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
• Possibly implement electrical stimulation as a supplement to the exercises

You have the best chance for a full recovery by actively participating in it and trusting the licensed Kampville, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to tearing up the local pickleball league, or just enjoying the ability to sit down and stand up without your knee buckling.

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

Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can have life-long repercussions. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Kampville, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will educate you on how to avoid another ACL tear later on. Some of the preventive methods you can take in order to prevent further injury are:

• Strengthen your core
• Strengthen your hip and leg muscles
• Practice correct technique, for instance keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
• Maintain flexibility
• Perform balance exercises
• Always warm up 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 things you love to do, but doing everything possible to ensure that you can continue doing them without being disrupted by another injury.

Some of the other services we offer in Kampville, 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 Kampville, 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 probably want to get back to your normal, active lifestyle as quickly as possible. Trust in the experienced professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work with you to implement a proven, customized rehabilitation plan to get you back to the basketball court, bowling alley, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.