ACL Tear Greater Troy, MO. ACL tears can abruptly obstruct 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 Troy, 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 put in place tailored treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Troy, MO, contact us online or find the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient great results and getting you back to the things that matter most to you, whether that means running the bases in your local Troy, MO league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Troy, MO Physical Therapy

Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, flexible fibrous tissue that attach two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to maintain stability in your knee by connecting 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 tandem to control the forward and backward motion of your knee, and the ACL shields the tibia from gliding 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 capacity to bear weight and your movement will be affected. Regardless of how severe your injury, trust in the Troy, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.

Causes of an ACL Tear | Troy, MO Physical Therapy

There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide annually, and it is one of the most common knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that entail frequent and rapid cutting and changing directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the vast majority of ACL tears happen in non-contact injuries, such as cutting rapidly, and the rest are the result 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 interrupted immediately before the injury. Some examples are:

• Landing on uneven footing or landing with improper form
• Something or someone bumping into you
• A sudden reduction in speed or changing direction
• Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
• Sustaining a direct hit to the knee

Internal Factors

These are related to the structure and anatomy of the knee and legs. Examples include:

• The differences in anatomy between men and women
• How flexible the hamstring and other surrounding muscles are
• Genetic variations

ACL tears don’t just occur 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 sustain an ACL tear, likely because of anatomical differences.

Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Troy, MO Physical Therapy

When you suffer an ACL tear, the pain will likely be at the center of the knee. You might not necessarily feel sever pain after an ACL tear unless other structural damage was done to the knee. Some signals that you might have torn your ACL are:

• Feeling or hearing a pop in your knee
• Inability to continue activity
• Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
• Reduction of range of motion
• Instability when bearing weight

If you think you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s crucial to contact a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Troy, MO to confirm your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer no-cost, no strings attached injury screenings and have a great network of trusted doctors in Troy, MO that we can refer you to. Your Axes physical or occupational therapist is a fundamental part of your recovery team, working closely with you and your doctors and medical providers to collaborate on your safe and efficient recovery.

How to Treat an ACL Tear | Troy, MO Physical Therapy

It is vital to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal properly, it can result in problems like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact your quality of life.

In the minutes after your ACL tear, you should use over-the-counter pain medication and the R.I.C.E. method to manage 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.

As there is no blood flow to the ligament, a complete ACL tear will not be able to regenerate 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. Surgery is the only means available to completely heal an ACL tear. So, surgery is often the best option for younger people, athletes who need a fully healthy ACL in order to play, patients with other significant damage to 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 in place, your journey back to normalcy and the activities you love is still a long way from over. After surgery, you’ll likely 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 Troy, MO to get you the best results for both your recovery and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will guide you through your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been proven to work. As part of your treatment plan, we will:

• Alleviate 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
• Provide you with a brace and teach you how to safely use it
• Do movement exercises and balance exercises to increase mobility
• Perform strength exercises to return you to full strength
• Possibly implement 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 licensed Troy, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating the local flag football league, or just enjoying the ability to climb stairs without your knee buckling.

How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Troy, MO Physical Therapy

Unfortunately, many people suffer a second ACL tear and they can lead to life-long consequences. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Troy, 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 correct technique, for instance landing evenly on both feet
• Maintain flexibility
• Increase your balance
• Always warm up before sports or other physical activities
• Make sure you are using appropriate footwear

Our physical therapists committed themselves not only to retuning you to the things you love to do, but doing everything possible to make sure that you stay off the sidelines.

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

It is normal to experience anxieties about your your future 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, personalized physical therapy 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.