ACL Tear Greater Winfield, MO. ACL tears have a tremendous effect on your active routine and daily life. One second you’re running down the field, competing 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 back to your job again. At Axes Physical Therapy in Winfield, 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 develop personalized, empirically-backed treatment plans. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Winfield, MO, contact us online or check out the most convenient Axes location for you. Our priority is 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 Winfield, MO basketball court, or picking up your grandchildren without any pain.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Winfield, MO Physical Therapy
Ligaments are bands found in joints made of durable, pliable connective tissue that connect 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, runs down the center of your knee and forms an “X” with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The ACL and PCL work in concert to stabilize the front and back movement of your knee, and the ACL impedes the tibia from gliding too far forward on the femur and supplies stability when the knee 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 Winfield, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you fully recover.
Why an ACL Tear Happens | Winfield, MO Physical Therapy
There are as many as 250,000 ACL injuries nationwide every year, and it is one of the most common knee injuries and sports injuries. They are common in contact sports that demand frequent and rapid cutting and switching directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to data from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, 70% of ACL tears occur in non-contact injuries, such as changing direction quickly, and the rest are caused by direct blunt force trauma. External and internal factors could both contribute to an ACL tear:
External Factors
These are when your movement is obstructed just before the injury. Some examples are:
- Landing on uneven footing or landing awkwardly
- Colliding with something or someone
- Suddenly decelerating or switching direction
- Swiveling with a firmly planted foot
- Sustaining a direct hit to the knee
Internal Factors
These are related to the structure and anatomy of the body. Some examples are:
- The anatomical differences between men and women
- Flexibility of the hamstring
- Genetic variations
While many ACL tears occur in sports, they are also common in falls and work-related injuries. 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 due to anatomical differences.
Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Winfield, MO Physical Therapy
After an ACL tear, you’ll likely feel pain at the center of the knee. You might not necessarily feel considerable pain after an ACL tear unless other constructive damage was done to the knee. Some indicators that you might have sustained an ACL tear include:
- Feeling or hearing a pop in your knee
- Having to cease activity
- Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
- Loss of range of motion
- Instability when putting weight on your knee
If you think you’ve sustained an ACL tear, it’s vital to visit a doctor or a licensed physical therapist in Winfield, MO to diagnose your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer complimentary, no strings attached injury screenings and have a great network of excellent physicians in Winfield, MO that we can refer you to. 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 | Winfield, MO Physical Therapy
It is imperative to get effective and personalized treatment soon after your ACL tear. If you delay, or your treatment is ineffective, it can lead to health conditions 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 manage pain and swelling. A doctor will then examine you, evaluate your range of motion, and likely order an MRI or other tests to confirm the ACL tear and evaluate the completeness and grade of your tear.
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 recommended for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed in order to perform, patients whose ACL tears were accompanied by other serious damage to other parts of their knee, or those whose ACL tear causes their knee to buckle in basic, everyday tasks. In an ACL surgery, a surgeon will remove the torn 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, your journey back to normalcy and the activities you love is still a long way from over. After surgery, you’ll probably 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 Winfield, 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 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 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 return mobility
- Perform strength exercises to increase strength
- Possibly implement electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility
When you work with the experienced Winfield, MO area physical therapists of Axes and take an active role in your recovery, you have the best chance of a complete and quick recovery. Before you know it, we will return you to dominating the local pick-up league, or just enjoying being able to to climb stairs without feeling any instability in your knee.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Winfield, MO Physical Therapy
Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can result in permanent repercussions. Included in your treatment program in Winfield, MO, our Certified Athletic Trainers will educate you on how to avoid another ACL tear in the future. We recommend some of the following steps to prevent further injury:
- Having a strong core
- Having strong hip and leg muscles
- Practice correct technique, for example keeping knees shoulder width apart while landing
- Stretch consistently
- 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 getting you back 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 Winfield, MO are:
ACL Tear in Winfield, MO | Axes Physical Therapy
It is normal to be anxious 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, tailor-made 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.
