ACL Tear Greater Maryknoll, MO. ACL tears have an enormous effect on your active and daily routine. One instant you’re sprinting down the court, competing in your favorite sport or having fun with your children, and the next moment you’re don’t know if you’ll get to play or even go to work again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Maryknoll, MO, we have devoted 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 design customize, evidence-based treatment plans. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Maryknoll, MO, contact us online or find the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient positive results and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means dominating your local Maryknoll, MO pickleball league, or carrying your children on your shoulders without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Maryknoll, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, flexible connective tissue that affix 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 in tandem to control the forward and backward motion of your knee, and the ACL safeguards the tibia from slipping too far forward on the femur and provides rotational stability.

Most ACL tears are partial, but they can be completely torn as well. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your ability to put weight on your knee and your movement will be affected. Regardless of how significant your injury, trust in the Maryknoll, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.

Why an ACL Tear Happens | Maryknoll, MO Physical Therapy

There are as many as 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide each year, and it is one of the most frequent knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that entail 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 occur in non-contact injuries, such as changing direction rapidly, and the rest are caused by direct blunt force trauma. External and internal factors could both contribute to an ACL tear:

External Factors

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

• Landing on uneven ground or landing with improper form
• Something or someone bumping into you
• 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
• How flexible the hamstring and other surrounding muscles are
• Differences in genetics

ACL tears don’t just occur in sports, falls and work-related injuries can hurt they ACL as well. The elderly are also at high risk, as our bodies degenerate as we age. Women are 4-6 times more likely to suffer an ACL tear, likely owing to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Maryknoll, MO Physical Therapy

Following an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain in the middle of the knee. You might not necessarily feel considerable pain after an ACL tear except if other parts of the knee were also injured. Some signals that you might have suffered an ACL tear are:

• A “popping” sensation in your knee
• Having to cease activity
• Rapid swelling
• Loss of range of motion
• Instability when bearing weight

If you think you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s important to see a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Maryknoll, MO to confirm your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer no-cost, no-obligation injury screenings and have a wide network of excellent physicians in Maryknoll, MO that we can refer you to. 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 | Maryknoll, MO Physical Therapy

It is imperative to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If you don’t, it can cause complications like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact how you live 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. In an examination, a doctor will assess your mobility, and likely order an MRI or other tests to verify the ACL tear and gauge the completeness and grade of your tear.

Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, a complete ACL tear cannot 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. The only way to fully repair an ACL tear is through surgery. So, surgery is often advisable for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed in order to play, patients with other significant injury to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes pain or weakness when performing basic, everyday tasks. ACL surgery is usually 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, your journey back to normalcy and the activities you love is still a long way from over. After surgery, you’ll probably be given crutches so you can get around for the next few weeks, as your quadriceps muscles will have weakened. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Maryknoll, MO to get you the best results for both your physical rehabilitation and your surgery. Our ACL tear physical therapy specialists will work with you throughout 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 effectively 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 increase range of motion
• Do strength exercises to increase strength
• Potentially use electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility

You have the best chance for a full recovery by actively participating in it and trusting the professional Maryknoll, MO area physical therapists of Axes. 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 feeling any instability in your knee.

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

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can lead to life-long consequences. Included in your treatment program in Maryknoll, 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:

• Having a strong core
• Strengthen your hip and leg muscles
• Practice correct form, for instance landing evenly on both feet
• 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 retuning you to the activities you love, but doing what we can to ensure that you can carry on doing them without being upended by another injury.

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

• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy
• Workers Comp' Physical Therapy
• Migraine Relief
• Sprain and Strain Treatment
• Geriatric Physical Therapy
• Injury Rehabilitation
• Pain Management Services
• TMJ Treatment
• Herniated Disc Treatment

ACL Tear in Maryknoll, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be anxious 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 knowledgeable professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work alongside you to produce a proven, personalized rehabilitation plan to get you back to the football field, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free daily activities. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.