ACL Tear Greater Paulina Hills, 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 back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Paulina Hills, 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 develop tailored treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Paulina Hills, MO, contact us online or locate the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient positive results and getting you back to the things that matter most to you, whether that means dominating your local Paulina Hills, MO pickleball league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

What is the ACL? | Paulina Hills, 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 keep your knee stable 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 in concert to stabilize the forward and backward motion of your knee, and the ACL safeguards the tibia from sliding too far forward on the femur and supplies rotational stability.

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. Regardless of how serious your injury, trust in the Paulina Hills, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Paulina Hills, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States 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 at high risk for ACL tears. According to data from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, almost three-quarters of ACL tears happen in non-contact injuries, such as cutting quickly, and the rest are because of 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 motion is disrupted just before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven footing or landing with improper form
• Colliding with something or someone
• Suddenly decelerating or switching direction
• Swiveling with a firmly planted foot
• Receiving a direct hit to the knee

Internal Factors

These are related to the structure and anatomy of the knee and legs. Some examples are:

• The anatomical differences between men and women
• Flexibility of the hamstring
• Differences in genetics

ACL tears don’t just transpire 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 due to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Paulina Hills, MO Physical Therapy

When you suffer an ACL tear, the pain will likely be at the center of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause significant 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 putting weight on your knee

If you think you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s important to see a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Paulina Hills, MO to confirm your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer complimentary, no strings attached injury screenings and have a great network of trusted doctors in Paulina Hills, MO that we can connect you with. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist is an indispensable 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 | Paulina Hills, MO Physical Therapy

It is imperative to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal don’t, it can lead to complications like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact you for the remainder of your life.

Directly following 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 evaluate your range of motion, and likely order an MRI to verify the ACL tear and gauge the extent of the injury.

Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, a complete ACL tear cannot 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 a fully healthy ACL 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 activities. ACL surgery is generally 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 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 Paulina Hills, MO to get you a positive outcome for both your recovery and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy specialists will guide you through your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. Our treatment methods will help to:

• Mitigate 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 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 Paulina Hills, MO area physical therapists of Axes. 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 your knee buckling.

How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Paulina Hills, MO Physical Therapy

Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can cause life-long consequences. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Paulina Hills, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will educate you on how to avoid another ACL tear down the line. 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 keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
• Maintain flexibility
• Increase your balance
• Always warm up before sports or other physical activities
• Always wear appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists dedicate themselves not only to getting you back to the things you love to do, but doing what we can to make sure that you stay off the sidelines.

Some of the other services we offer in Paulina Hills, 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 Paulina Hills, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

It is normal to be apprehensive about your what your life will look like in the future 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 implement a proven, tailor-made 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.