ACL Tear Greater Matson, MO. ACL tears can abruptly disrupt 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 Matson, 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 concert with you as a team and design customize, empirically-backed treatment plans. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Matson, MO, contact us online or find the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient a positive outcome and getting you back to the things that matter most to you, whether that means running the bases in your local Matson, MO league, or carrying your children on your shoulders without any pain.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Matson, MO Physical Therapy
Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, pliable connective tissue that attach two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to maintain stability in your knee by attaching 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 together to stabilize the front and back movement of your knee, and the ACL prevents the tibia from moving too far forward on the femur and provides rotational stability.
ACL tears can be either partial or complete. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your ability to put weight on your knee and range of motion will be lowered. No Matter how severe your injury, trust in the Matson, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.
Why an ACL Tear Happens | Matson, MO Physical Therapy
There are as many as 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide every 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 switching directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, 70% of ACL tears occur in non-contact injuries, such as cutting rapidly, and the rest are caused by direct blunt force trauma. External and internal factors could both be at play when you sustain an ACL tear:
External Factors
These are when your coordination is interrupted just before the injury. Some examples are:
- Landing on uneven ground or landing with improper form
- Being hit by something or someone
- Suddenly decelerating or changing direction
- Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
- Receiving a direct blow 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
While many ACL tears happen in sports, they are also common in falls and work-related injuries. The elderly are also at high risk, as our bodies degenerate as we age. Women are 4-6 times more likely to sustain an ACL tear, likely as a result of anatomical differences.
Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Matson, MO Physical Therapy
Following 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 except if other constructive damage was done to the knee. Some indicators that you might have torn your ACL include:
- A “popping” sensation in your knee
- Having to cease activity
- Rapid swelling
- Loss of range of motion
- Instability when bearing weight
If you suspect you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s necessary to see a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Matson, MO to diagnose your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer free, no-obligation injury screenings and have a wide network of trusted physicians in Matson, 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 | Matson, MO Physical Therapy
It is vital to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal don’t, it can cause health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact 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 or other tests to confirm the ACL tear and gauge the completeness and grade of your tear.
Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, 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 perform, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other significant injury to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in basic, everyday tasks. In an ACL surgery, a surgeon will remove the torn 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 be given crutches so you can get around for the next few weeks, as your quadriceps muscles will weaken from disuse. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Matson, MO to optimize your recovery and the success of your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will work with you throughout 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
- Fit you for a brace and teach you how to safely use it
- Do movement exercises and balance exercises to increase range of motion
- Do strength exercises to increase strength
- Possibly implement electrical stimulation as a supplement to the exercises
When you work with the knowledgeable Matson, MO area physical therapists of Axes and take an active role in your rehabilitation, you have the greatest chance of a complete and timely recovery. Before you know it, we will get you back to tearing up the local pick-up league, or just enjoying being able to to sit down and stand up without feeling any instability in your knee.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Matson, MO Physical Therapy
Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can have life-long repercussions. Included in your treatment program in Matson, 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 correct form, for example bending at the knees and hips when turning
- Stretch consistently
- Perform balance exercises
- Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
- Always wear appropriate footwear
Our physical therapists committed themselves not only to getting you back to the things you love to do, but doing what we can to ensure that you stay off the sidelines.
Some of the other services we offer in Matson, MO are:
- Dry Needling
- Pain Management
- Rotator Cuff Tear
- Arthritis Treatment
- Sports Injury
- Knee Injuries
- Work Injury Rehabilitation
- Physical Therapist Near Me
ACL Tear in Matson, 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 knowledgeable professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work in concert with you to create a proven, personalized rehabilitation plan to return you to the basketball court, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free daily activities. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.
