ACL Tear Greater Valley Park, MO. ACL tears have an enormous effect on 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 back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Valley Park, 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 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 Valley Park, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. Our mission is getting every patient a positive outcome and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means burning corners in your local Valley Park, MO flag football league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Valley Park, MO Physical Therapy
Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, pliable connective tissue that attach two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to maintain stability in your knee by attaching 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 stabilize the front and back motion of your knee, and the ACL shields the tibia from slipping too far forward on the femur and provides stability when the knee rotates.
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 range of motion will be reduced. Regardless of how significant your injury, trust in the Valley Park, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.
Why an ACL Tear Happens | Valley Park, MO Physical Therapy
There are up to 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide every year, 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 at high risk for ACL tears. According to data from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the vast majority of ACL tears happen in non-contact injuries, such as changing direction rapidly, and the rest are caused by 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 movement is interrupted just before the injury. Some examples are:
- Landing on uneven footing or landing with improper form
- Something or someone bumping into you
- Instantly decelerating or changing direction
- Spinning 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
- How flexible the hamstring and other surrounding muscles are
- Genetic differences
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 | Valley Park, MO Physical Therapy
After an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain at the center of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause sever 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 cease activity
- Rapid swelling
- 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 Valley Park, MO to verify your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer no-cost, no strings attached injury screenings and work with many trusted doctors in Valley Park, 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 | Valley Park, MO Physical Therapy
It is essential to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal properly, it can lead to health conditions like obesity or osteoarthritis, which can significantly impact 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, assess your mobility, and likely order an MRI or other tests to confirm the ACL tear and evaluate 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 heal on its own. That is why the aid of a licensed professional physical therapist is necessary to return to the activities you love. The only way to fully repair an ACL tear is through surgery. So, surgery is often recommended for younger people, athletes who need a fully functioning ACL in order to perform, patients with other significant damage to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes pain or weakness when carrying out basic, everyday tasks. In an ACL surgery, a surgeon will remove the damaged 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 attached, you still have a long way to go before you’ll feel fully back to normal. After surgery, you’ll likely 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 Valley Park, MO to optimize your recovery and the success of your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will guide you through your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. Our treatment methods will help to:
- Alleviate pain and swelling
- Provide patient education so you understand your injury and why our methods work
- Gradually and successfully 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 return mobility
- Do strength exercises to increase strength
- Possibly employ electrical stimulation as a supplement to the exercises
When you work with the knowledgeable Valley Park, MO area physical therapists of Axes and take an active role in your rehabilitation, you have the best chance of a complete and quick recovery. Before you know it, we will get you back to dominating the local flag football league, or just enjoying being able to to climb stairs without any pain.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Valley Park, MO Physical Therapy
Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can lead to life-long repercussions. As part of our ACL tear physical therapy services in Valley Park, 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:
- Having a strong core
- Strengthen your hip and leg muscles
- Practice correct technique, for instance 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 devote 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 Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, 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 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 produce a proven, customized physical therapy plan to get you back to the football field, bowling alley, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.
