ACL Tear Greater Shrewsbury, MO. ACL tears can suddenly upset 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 Shrewsbury, MO, we have committed 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 with you as a team and design customize, evidence-based treatment plans. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Shrewsbury, 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 the things that matter most to you, whether that means burning corners in your local Shrewsbury, MO flag football league, or carrying your children on your shoulders without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Shrewsbury, 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 connecting 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 concert 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 supplies 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. However severe your injury, trust in the Shrewsbury, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.

Why an ACL Tear Happens | Shrewsbury, 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. 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, 70% of ACL tears happen in non-contact injuries, such as changing direction quickly, and the rest are due to direct blows to the knee. External and internal factors could both contribute to 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 awkwardly
• Something or someone bumping into you
• Instantly decelerating or changing direction
• Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
• Suffering a direct hit to the knee

Internal Factors

These concern 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

While many ACL tears occur 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 owing to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Shrewsbury, MO Physical Therapy

Following an ACL tear, the pain will likely be 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 signals that you may have torn your ACL include:

• A “popping” sensation or sound in your knee
• Having to cease activity
• Rapid swelling
• Reduction of range of motion
• Instability when putting weight on your knee

If you think you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s imperative to see a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Shrewsbury, MO to verify your injury and come up with the treatment plan you need to recover. We offer no-cost, no strings attached injury screenings and work with many trusted doctors in Shrewsbury, MO that we can connect you with. 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 | Shrewsbury, MO Physical Therapy

It is important to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If you wait, or your treatment is ineffective, it can result in health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect you for the remainder of your life.

Directly following your ACL tear, it’s best to use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to mitigate pain and swelling. A doctor will then examine you, evaluate your range of motion, and likely order an MRI to confirm the ACL tear and evaluate the severity of the injury.

Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, a complete ACL tear cannot heal on its own. 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 necessary for younger people, athletes who need a fully functioning ACL in order to play, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other significant damage to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes pain or weakness when carrying out basic, everyday activities. ACL surgery is typically 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, you still have a long way to go before you’ll feel fully back to normal. 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 Shrewsbury, MO to get you the best results for both your physical rehabilitation and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy specialists will be by your side throughout your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

• 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
• Do movement exercises and balance exercises to increase range of motion
• Perform strength exercises to increase 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 expert Shrewsbury, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating 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 | Shrewsbury, MO Physical Therapy

Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can have permanent consequences. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Shrewsbury, 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:

• Strengthen your core
• Having strong hip and leg muscles
• Practice proper form, for example always landing with your feet directly over your knee
• Maintain flexibility
• Perform balance exercises
• Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
• Always wear appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists devote themselves not only to retuning you to the things you love to do, but doing everything possible to ensure that you can continue doing them without being upended by another injury.

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

It is normal to be apprehensive 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 create a proven, customized rehabilitation plan to get you back 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.