ACL Tear Greater Wright City, MO. ACL tears have an enormous effect on your active and daily routine. 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 Wright City, 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 with you as a team and develop tailored treatments plans that have been empirically proven to be effective. If you’ve sustained an ACL tear, or any other injury, in Wright City, MO, contact us online or find 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 burning corners in your local Wright City, MO flag football league, or carrying your children on your shoulders without any pain.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament | Wright City, MO Physical Therapy
Ligaments are bands found in joints made of tough, pliable fibrous tissue that connect two bones. The ligaments in the knee work to keep your knee stable 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 together to stabilize the forward and backward 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 capacity to put weight on your knee and range of motion will be lowered. No Matter how serious your injury, trust in the Wright City, MO licensed physical therapists of Axes to help you attain a complete recovery.
Causes of an ACL Tear | Wright City, 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. They are common in contact sports that demand frequent and rapid cutting and changing directions, such as football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. According to reporting from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the vast majority of ACL tears occur in non-contact injuries, such as cutting quickly, and the rest are because of 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 movement is disrupted 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
- Pivoting with a firmly planted foot
- Suffering a direct hit to the knee
Internal Factors
These concern the structure and anatomy of the body. 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 happen in sports, falls and work-related injuries can damage they ACL as well. 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 because of anatomical differences.
Symptoms of an ACL Tear | Wright City, MO Physical Therapy
After an ACL tear, the pain will likely be in the middle of the knee. You might not necessarily feel significant pain after an ACL tear except if other parts of the knee were also injured. Some indicators that you may have torn your ACL are:
- A “popping” sensation in your knee
- Not being able to continue activity
- Your knee becoming inflamed quickly
- Loss of range of motion
- Instability when bearing weight
If you think you’ve suffered an ACL tear, it’s crucial to contact a physician or a licensed physical therapist in Wright City, MO to confirm your injury and get you the treatment you need. We offer no-cost, no strings attached injury screenings and have a wide network of trusted physicians in Wright City, MO that we can connect you with. 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.
ACL Tear Treatments | Wright City, 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 problems such as 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 alleviate 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 assess the completeness and grade of your tear.
Because ligaments do not receive blood flow, a complete ACL tear cannot regenerate by itself. That is why the aid of a licensed professional physical therapist is necessary to get back to the activities you love. The only way to fully repair an ACL tear is through surgery. So, surgery is often necessary for younger people, athletes who need their knee reconstructed in order to play, 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 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 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 Wright City, MO to get you a positive outcome for both your physical rehabilitation and your operation. Our ACL tear physical therapy specialists will be by your side throughout your recovery process with proven, customized physical therapy. As part of your treatment plan, we will:
- Mitigate 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
- Fit you for a brace and teach you how to safely use it
- Perform movement exercises and balance exercises to return mobility
- Perform strength exercises to return you to full strength
- Possibly implement electrical stimulation to return strength and flexibility
When you work with the knowledgeable Wright City, 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 get you back to dominating the local pick-up league, or just enjoying the ability to sit down and stand up without any pain.
How to Prevent an ACL Tear | Wright City, MO Physical Therapy
Unfortunately, many people sustain a second ACL tear and they can result in life-long consequences. Included in your treatment program in Wright City, 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:
- Having a strong core
- Having strong hip and leg muscles
- Practice proper form, for instance bending at the knees and hips when turning
- Maintain flexibility
- Increase your balance
- 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 retuning you to the things you love to do, but doing what we can to make certain that you can carry on doing them without being disrupted by another injury.
Some of the other services we offer in Wright City, 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 Wright City, MO | Axes Physical Therapy
It is normal to experience anxieties about your prognosis and road to recovery 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 with you to create a proven, customized rehabilitation 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.
