ACL Tear Greater Union, MO. ACL tears can unexpectedly obstruct your active routine and daily life. One instant you’re sprinting down the court, engaging in your favorite sport or having fun with your children, and the next instant you’re wondering if you’ll get to play or even go to work again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Union, MO, we have devoted 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 put in place tailored, empirically-backed treatment plans. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Union, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. We focus on getting every patient a positive outcome and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means breaking defender’s ankles on a Union, MO basketball court, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.
What is the ACL? | Union, MO Physical Therapy
Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, flexible connective tissue that attach two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to maintain stability in your knee by affixing 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 together to stabilize the forward and backward movement of your knee, and the ACL shields the tibia from moving 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 bear weight and range of motion will be lowered. No Matter how serious your injury, trust in the Union, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.
Causes of an ACL Tear | Union, MO Physical Therapy
There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide 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 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 because of direct blows to the knee. External and internal factors could both be at play when you suffer an ACL tear:
External Factors
These are when your motion is obstructed immediately before the injury. Some examples are:
- Landing on uneven ground or landing with improper form
- Being hit by something or someone
- A sudden reduction in speed or changing direction
- Swiveling with a firmly planted foot
- Receiving a direct blow to the knee
Internal Factors
These are related to 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
ACL tears don’t just transpire in sports, falls and work-related injuries can hurt they ACL too. The elderly are also at high risk, as our bodies degenerate as we age. Women are 4-6 times more likely to suffer an ACL tear, likely due to anatomical differences.
Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Union, MO Physical Therapy
After an ACL tear, the pain will likely be in the middle of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause considerable pain unless other parts of the knee were also injured. Some indicators that you might have torn your ACL include:
- Feeling or hearing a pop in your knee
- Having to stop activity
- Rapid swelling
- Reduction of range of motion
- Not being able to bear weight your knee
If you suspect you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s important to reach out to a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Union, MO to diagnose your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer no-cost, no strings attached injury screenings and have a great network of excellent physicians in Union, MO that we can refer you to. 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 | Union, MO Physical Therapy
It is imperative to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If you delay, or your treatment is ineffective, it can cause problems such as obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect how you live 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 inflammation. In an examination, a doctor will assess your mobility, and likely order an MRI or other tests to confirm the ACL tear and evaluate the severity of the injury.
Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, a complete ACL tear will not be able to 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. Surgery is the only means available to completely heal an ACL tear. So, surgery is often advisable for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed in order to play, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other significant injury to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes pain or weakness when carrying out basic, everyday activities. In an ACL surgery, a surgeon will remove the injured 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 have weakened. Axes Physical Therapy offers both pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation for ACL tears in Union, MO to optimize your recovery and the success of your surgery. Our ACL tear physical therapy professionals will guide you through your recovery process with a personalized treatment plan that has been demonstrated to work. Our treatment methods will help to:
- Reduce pain and swelling
- Educate you on your injury and the rehab process
- Gradually and effectively allow you to put weight on your knee again
- Fit you for a brace and teach you how to safely use it
- Perform movement exercises and balance exercises to increase range of motion
- Perform strength exercises to return you to full strength
- Possibly use electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility
You have the best chance for a full recovery by actively participating in it and trusting the expert Union, MO area physical therapists of Axes. Before you know it, we will get you back to tearing up the local pickleball league, or just enjoying being able to to sit down and stand up without feeling any instability in your knee.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Union, MO Physical Therapy
Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can have permanent repercussions. Included in your treatment program in Union, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will help you understand the best practices that help to avoid another ACL tear in the future. We recommend some of the following steps to prevent further injury:
- Having a strong core
- Strengthen your hip and leg muscles
- Practice correct technique, for example keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
- Stretch consistently
- Perform balance exercises
- Perform warm-up exercises before sports or other physical activities
- Make sure you are using appropriate footwear
Our physical therapists committed themselves not only to getting you back to the activities you love, but doing what we can to make sure that you stay off the sidelines.
Some of the other services we offer in Union, MO are:
- Pain Management
- Rotator Cuff Tear
- Arthritis Treatment
- Sports Injury
- Knee Injuries
- Work Injury Rehabilitation
- Physical Therapist Near Me
- Neck Pain
ACL Tear in Union, MO | Axes Physical Therapy
It is normal to be anxious 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 alongside you to implement a proven, customized rehabilitation plan to get you back to the football field, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free daily activities. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.
