ACL Tear Greater Stone Meadows, MO. ACL tears can unexpectedly upset your active and daily routine. One moment you’re sprinting down the field, competing in your favorite sport or having fun with your kids, and the next second you’re thinking about whether you’ll get to play or even go back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Stone Meadows, 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 in concert with you as a team and design customize treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Stone Meadows, MO, contact us online or locate the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient great results and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means running the bases in your local Stone Meadows, MO league, or carrying your children on your shoulders without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Stone Meadows, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, flexible fibrous tissue that affix two bones. The ligaments in the knee help 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 together to control the front and back motion of your knee, and the ACL safeguards the tibia from slipping 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 bear weight and your motion will be affected. Regardless of how serious your injury, trust in the Stone Meadows, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Stone Meadows, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries in the United States 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 the most likely to get ACL tears. According to reporting 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 due to 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 obstructed immediately before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven footing or landing with improper form
• Being hit by something or someone
• A sudden reduction in speed or switching direction
• Swiveling with a firmly planted foot
• Sustaining a direct blow 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
• 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 damage they ACL as well. 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 owing to anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Stone Meadows, MO Physical Therapy

Following an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain at the center of the knee. You might not necessarily feel significant pain after an ACL tear except if other structural damage was done to the knee. Some signals that you may have torn your ACL include:

• A “popping” sensation in your knee
• Having to cease activity
• Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
• Loss of range of motion
• Not being able to bear weight your knee

If you think you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s vital to see a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Stone Meadows, MO to diagnose your injury and come up with the treatment plan you need to recover. We offer complimentary, no-obligation injury screenings and work with many trusted physicians in Stone Meadows, 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.

ACL Tear Treatments | Stone Meadows, MO Physical Therapy

It is vital to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If you don’t, it can lead to problems such as obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect your quality of life.

Immediately after your ACL tear, it’s best to use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to reduce pain and inflammation. A doctor will then examine you, evaluate your range of motion, and likely order an MRI to verify the ACL tear and assess the completeness and grade of your tear.

As there is no blood flow to the ligament, 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 return to the activities you love. The only way to fully repair an ACL tear is through surgery. So, surgery is often necessary for younger people, athletes who need a fully healthy ACL in order to play, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other serious damage to their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in basic, everyday activities. 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 in place, your journey back to normalcy and the activities you love is still a long way from over. After surgery, you may 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 Stone Meadows, MO to get you a positive outcome for both your recovery and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will work with you throughout your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. Our treatment methods will help to:

• Alleviate 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 increase range of motion
• Do strength exercises to return you to full strength
• Potentially utilize electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility

You have the best chance for a full recovery by actively participating in it and trusting the licensed Stone Meadows, 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 the ability to sit down and stand up without any pain.

How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Stone Meadows, MO Physical Therapy

Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can result in permanent repercussions. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Stone Meadows, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will help you understand the best practices that help 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
• Having strong hip and leg muscles
• Practice proper technique, for example keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
• Stretch consistently
• Increase your balance
• Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
• Always wear appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists devote themselves not only to getting you back to the activities you love, but doing everything possible to ensure that you stay off the sidelines.

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

It is normal to be nervous about your your future 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 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 football field, bowling alley, or just back to your normal, pain-free daily activities. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.