ACL Tear Greater Old Jamestown, MO. ACL tears have a tremendous effect on your active and daily routine. 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 Old Jamestown, 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 tandem with you as a team and create personalized treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Old Jamestown, MO, contact us online or check out 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 dominating your local Old Jamestown, MO pickleball league, or carrying your children on your shoulders without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Old Jamestown, 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 keep your knee stable 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 stabilize the front and back movement of your knee, and the ACL safeguards the tibia from moving 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 ability to bear weight and your motion will be affected. No Matter how significant your injury, trust in the Old Jamestown, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you accomplish a complete recovery.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Old Jamestown, MO Physical Therapy

There are as many as 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide annually, and it is one of the most common knee injuries and sports injuries. Athletes who play contact sports and/or sports where there is a lot of cutting and changing direction are at high risk for ACL tears. According to data from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the vast majority of ACL tears occur in non-contact injuries, such as changing direction quickly, and the rest are because 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 motion is disrupted just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven ground or landing awkwardly
• Something or someone knocking into you
• Suddenly decelerating or switching direction
• Spinning 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 differences in anatomy between men and women
• Flexibility of the hamstring
• Differences in genetics

While many ACL tears occur 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 as a result of anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Old Jamestown, MO Physical Therapy

Following an ACL tear, the pain will likely be at the center of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause considerable pain except if other parts of the knee were also injured. Some indicators that you might have torn your ACL include:

• A “popping” sensation or sound in your knee
• Not being able to continue activity
• Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
• Reduction of range of motion
• Instability when bearing weight

If you think you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s imperative to see a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Old Jamestown, MO to verify your injury and start the treatment you need to recover. We offer no-cost, no-obligation injury screenings and work with many excellent physicians in Old Jamestown, 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 | Old Jamestown, MO Physical Therapy

It is important to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal properly, it can result in complications like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect your quality of life.

Directly following your ACL tear, it’s best to use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to manage pain and swelling. In an examination, a doctor will evaluate 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 blood does not flow to ligaments, a complete ACL tear cannot heal by itself. 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 activities. 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, 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 Old Jamestown, MO to get you the best results for both your recovery and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy specialists will lead you through your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been demonstrated to work. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

• Reduce pain and swelling
• Educate you on your injury and the rehab process
• 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 return range of motion
• Do strength exercises to return you to full strength
• Possibly employ 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 professional Old Jamestown, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to tearing up the local softball league, or just enjoying the ability to sit down and stand up without any pain.

How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Old Jamestown, MO Physical Therapy

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can lead to permanent consequences. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Old Jamestown, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will educate you on how to avoid another ACL tear down the road. Some of the preventive methods you can take in order to prevent further injury are:

• Strengthen your core
• Having strong hip and leg muscles
• Practice proper form, for example landing evenly on both feet
• 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 retuning you to the things you love to do, but doing what we can to make certain that you stay off the sidelines.

Some of the other services we offer in Old Jamestown, 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 Old Jamestown, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be anxious about your prognosis and road to recovery 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 knowledgeable professionals of Axes Physical Therapy to work alongside you to design a proven, customized rehabilitation plan to get you back to the football field, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.