ACL Tear Greater Webster Groves, MO. ACL tears have an enormous effect on your active and daily routine. One instant you’re flying down the court, engaging in your favorite sport or having fun with your children, and the next moment you’re thinking about whether you’ll get to play or even go back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Webster Groves, MO, we have dedicated 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 develop customize, evidence-based treatment plans. If you’ve suffered an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Webster Groves, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. Our priority is getting every patient great results and getting you back to what’s most important to you, whether that means dominating your local Webster Groves, MO pickleball league, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Webster Groves, MO Physical Therapy
Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, flexible connective tissue that affix two bones. The ligaments in the knee help keep your knee stable by affixing 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 tandem to stabilize the forward and backward motion of your knee, and the ACL prevents the tibia from slipping too far forward on the femur and provides stability when the joint rotates.
ACL tears can be either partial or complete. Depending on the grade of your ACL tear, your capacity to put weight on your knee and your motion will be affected. Regardless of how severe your injury, trust in the Webster Groves, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully heal.
Why an ACL Tear Happens | Webster Groves, 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. They are common in contact sports that call for frequent and fast cutting and switching directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the vast majority of ACL tears occur in non-contact injuries, such as changing direction rapidly, and the rest are due to direct blunt force trauma. External and internal factors could both be at play when you suffer an ACL tear:
External Factors
These are when your coordination is disrupted immediately before the injury. Some examples are:
- Landing on uneven footing or landing awkwardly
- Being hit by something or someone
- Suddenly decelerating or switching direction
- Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
- Receiving a direct hit to the knee
Internal Factors
These concern 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. 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 | Webster Groves, MO Physical Therapy
When you suffer an ACL tear, the pain will likely be at the center of the knee. An ACL tear does not always cause sever pain except if other constructive damage was done to the knee. Some signals that you may have torn your ACL are:
- A “popping” sensation or sound in your knee
- Having to stop activity
- Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
- Reduction of range of motion
- Instability when bearing weight
If you suspect you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s crucial to contact a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Webster Groves, MO to verify your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer free, no strings attached injury screenings and work with many excellent doctors in Webster Groves, 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.
How to Treat an ACL Tear | Webster Groves, MO Physical Therapy
It is important to get prompt, effective, personalized treatment for your ACL tear. If your injury does not heal don’t, it can cause problems such as obesity or osteoarthritis, which can greatly affect you for the remainder of your life.
Immediately after 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 evaluate your range of motion, and likely order an MRI to verify the ACL tear and judge the extent of the injury.
Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, 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. 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 perform, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other significant injury to their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in basic, everyday tasks. 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 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 Webster Groves, MO to get you the best results for both your physical rehabilitation and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy experts will lead you through your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. Our treatment methods will help to:
- 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
- Provide you with a brace and teach you how to safely use it
- Perform movement exercises and balance exercises to increase mobility
- Do strength exercises to increase strength
- Possibly implement electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility
When you work with the knowledgeable Webster Groves, MO area physical therapists of Axes and take an active role in your rehabilitation, you have the best chance of a complete and timely recovery. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating the local flag football league, or just enjoying the ability to sit down and stand up without your knee buckling.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Webster Groves, MO Physical Therapy
Unfortunately, second ACL tears are common and they can have life-long consequences. Included in your treatment program in Webster Groves, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will educate you on how to avoid another ACL tear down the line. 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 technique, for instance landing evenly on both feet
- Maintain flexibility
- Perform balance exercises
- Always warm up before sports or other physical activities
- Make sure you are using appropriate footwear
Our physical therapists dedicate themselves not only to retuning you to the things you love to do, but doing what we can to ensure that you stay off the sidelines.
Some of the other services we offer in Webster Groves, 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 Webster Groves, MO | Axes Physical Therapy
It is normal to be anxious 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 in concert with you to implement a proven, personalized rehabilitation plan to get you back to the football field, gymnasts’ mat, or just back to your normal, pain-free life. Contact us online or call the location are closest to you.
